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Eugenie Bouchard, the trailblazing Canadian tennis star who made history with her Wimbledon final appearance in 2014, has officially announced her retirement from professional tennis. The 31-year-old athlete shared the news on Instagram, expressing her desire to close the curtain on her career where it all began — at home in Montreal during the upcoming National Bank Open.
"You'll know when it's time. For me, it's now. Ending where it all started: Montreal," Bouchard wrote, signaling the end of an era for Canadian tennis fans who watched her rise to international acclaim.
Bouchard's 2014 season was nothing short of sensational. She became the first Canadian woman to reach a grand slam singles final in the Open Era at Wimbledon and reached the semifinals of both the Australian Open and the French Open. That same year, she captured her sole WTA title in Nürnberg and soared to a career-high world No. 5.
Tennis Canada's CEO Gavin Ziv praised Bouchard's legacy, calling her one of the most influential figures in the nation's sporting history. "She's been and still is an incredible ambassador for our sport," he stated, emphasizing her role in inspiring a generation of young Canadian players.
However, her promising trajectory faced an abrupt obstacle in 2015 when she sustained a concussion after slipping on a wet floor at the US Open. The incident led to a lawsuit against the USTA, where a jury deemed the organization 75% at fault. Bouchard's performance never fully recovered from the injury, and in recent years, she shifted focus toward pickleball while falling outside the WTA's top 1,000 rankings.
Despite the setbacks, her influence remains undeniable. Valérie Tétreault, director of the National Bank Open, lauded her as a role model and a symbol of possibility for Canadian tennis. "She has redefined what Canadian tennis could be," Tétreault said.
Bouchard's final professional match will be played with a wildcard entry at the National Bank Open, set to begin on July 26 at Montreal's IGA Stadium. While her time on the court is coming to a close, her legacy will undoubtedly continue to serve as a powerful benchmark in Canadian sports history.
