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Eugenie Bouchard is going to Rio. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Rogers Cup, Bouchard confirmed she would join Team Canada in Rio for her first Olympics.

"My two big concerns with the Olympics are the Zika virus obviously, and security in general," Bouchard said.

"It was a hard decision for me and I definitely thought about all the pros and cons. But at the end of the day I knew in my heart I didn't want to be sitting at home watching the Olympics on TV. Also knowing I might have two or three Olympics in my career, I felt that the decision to go was the right one."

"In terms of what events I will be participating in or not I have not thought that through yet. I'll worry about that after this event."

The first order of business is to focus on getting her summer hardcourt season on track. Bouchard has made two finals on hardcourts thus far in 2016 (Hobart and Kuala Lumpur), but both were in the early part of the season. Her results have stalled since February and she'll be trying to reverse the trend on home soil.

"I think I've done better than the year before, but it's not something I want to do, always comparing to the year before which is how everyone seems to kind of think of it that way," Bouchard said.

She is 24-16 this season compared to 12-18 last season.

"I'm pleased [with my season so far] but I'm also not pleased. I feel like it would have been more fun to go further in the Slams, other tournaments as well. I made two finals. So I'm slowly righting the ship but I know it takes a lot of time."

Bouchard is always under the spotlight at the Rogers Cup, but even more so when the tournament is hosted in her hometown of Montreal. This week she will try string together some wins on Canadian soil, something she has not been able to do in the past. She has yet to progress past the second round in Canada.

"I'm very excited to be here," Bouchard said. "It is different [from other tournaments]. I feel the energy from the fans and how excited they are to see me. So it makes me really happy to be here and I'm going to try and make them proud."

Bouchard opens her tournament against Lucie Safarova in the first round.

Eugenie Bouchard earned a surprising win over 2014 Mutua Madrid Open champion Maria Sharapova; what comes next for the two as the tour edges closer to the second Grand Slam of the season?
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WTA INSIDER COURTNEY NGUYEN
May 8, 2017
MADRID, Spain - Eugenie Bouchard turned back the clock on Monday night in Madrid's famed "Magic Box," putting on an impressive display of mental and physical fortitude to oust Maria Sharapova, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open. The win, her first over Sharapova in five meetings, sets up a face-off with top seed Angelique Kerber for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Three takeaways from one of the best matches of the 2017 season.


Bouchard put together her most inspired performance since 2014.

It was difficult to know which Bouchard would walk out on Manolo Santana Court in the feature night match in the Spanish capital. Would it be the Bouchard who has struggled over the last two years and who came into Madrid without a tour-level match win since January? Or would it be the Bouchard who found a way to summon her best under the brightest of lights in her breakout 2014 season?

It proved, definitively, to be the latter.


Bouchard told reporters she hoped she would play Sharapova in the second round and the she got her wish. In the face of an offensive early onslaught, Bouchard stayed cool and gradually elevated her level as the protracted first set went along. When Sharapova jumped out to a 4-2 lead and looked to be the more poised of the two, Bouchard bounced right back to break and get back on serve, reeling off three straight games and eventually close a grueling one hour and 10 minute set.

The resilience showed again in the decider. As Sharapova wrenched control of the match after blitzing through an aggressive 6-2 second set, Bouchard found herself up against it in the third. But she never panicked and even when Sharapova looked poise to break at 0-40 in the third game, or when Sharapova repeatedly dug out of a 0-40 hole to hold, the missed opportunities and pressure never rattled the 23-year-old Canadian, who played her best match in years to oust the the 2014 champion. Bouchard's opening win over Alizé Cornet was her first three-set win since the Rogers Cup last year. Now she tallies her second.


"At points in the match, I definitely did not feel the rhythm," Bouchard said. "There was a little bit of up and down in the match, for sure. I had moments where I was a bit frustrated. I thought I could play better.

"But overall, you know, with the whole mental aspect, just fighting and playing almost a three-hour match, the physical battles, I mean, she's playing really well right now. Everything together, for sure, it's one of my more prouder matches in the past couple years."


Sharapova struggles to close...again.

There's no doubt that Sharapova is playing at an impressive level since her return, and she's done well to block out the swirling circus that surrounds, as the novelty of her return continues. But in both her loss to Kristina Mladenovic in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix semifinals and to Bouchard in Madrid, the natural rust from being out of competition for 15 months showed when it came to closing out games and sets.

Against Mladenovic in Stuttgart, Sharapova had three break points to earn a shot at closing the match in straight sets. She also had a 15-40 lead on Mladenovic's serve in the fifth game of the third set to edge ahead. Often it has been her return game that let her down.

Similarly, against Bouchard, she let game points during a 4-2 lead in the first set slip away. In the final set she held triple-break point in the fourth game, only for Bouchard to hold, and held a 40-15 on her own serve but was broken in the ninth game. In the final game, with Bouchard looking wobbly, Sharapova had two break points at 15-40 but went for too much and missed, giving Bouchard a chance to close out the win, which she did with a fantastic forehand.


"I definitely thought I should have taken care of the first set," Sharapova said. "I had a letdown, being up a break. I was happy with the way I changed things around in the second, stepped in, was a little bit more aggressive inside the baseline. Then the third, kind of felt like it was a similar pattern: set up opportunities, breakpoints, and just did not convert them today."

It's difficult to fault Sharapova for backing herself in the big moments and going for the spectacular winners. That fortitude is what allowed her to also save 10 of 15 break points on a night when her serve was not at its best. If there's one thing that she's proven throughout her career, backing down is not part of her regular repertoire. And there will come a day, likely sooner than later, that those shots will fall.


"There's no way to train but be a part of [tough matches], like I was today, and the previous tournament. To find myself in those situations, come up with the goods... You know, I could have easily gone out of the match. I got myself in a position to finish, and I didn't."

"I would be worried about myself if I sat here and said I'm pretty happy with losing a tennis match, no matter who I face, no matter what round it is, whether it's the first round or final of a Grand Slam.

"You know, I'm a big competitor. What you work for for so many hours every single day is to be on the winning end of matches. Today was just not that day.

"Of course, I'm disappointed. That's what's going to make me a better player. That's what's going to win me more tournaments and more Grand Slams."

And with that, Sharapova sent a clear message. She's not focused on working herself back. She's focused on winning more Slams.


Bouchard's next test: Consistency.

The task does not get easier for Bouchard, as she's set to face top seed Angelique Kerber on Wednesday. Bouchard needed just over two hours to get past Cornet in in the first round and had to battle through the grind with Sharapova for nearly three hours. Bouchard leads their head-to-head 3-2, with two of those wins coming on clay.

"I want to maybe rest my brain a little bit, not think about [the match] too much for tomorrow. I have the day off, which is good.

"I want to go for it. I'm the underdog, by far. It's nice to have this position these past couple years. So I want to at least take advantage of that, just go for it, play good tennis, build on this, and enjoy it, kind of just show what I can do."

Eugenie Bouchard claimed she had the support of the tennis world behind her after landing her first ever win over Maria Sharapova in a Madrid Open grudge match laced with tension over the Canadian's outspoken comments over Sharapova's return to the sport after a 15-month doping ban.

Bouchard blasted the red carpet treatment laid out to Sharapova with a series of wildcards to big events last week, calling her "a cheater" and claiming a life ban should have been imposed on the Russian for testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.

And she blasted her off the court in the Spanish capital 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in a thrilling near three-hour contest with a performance reminiscent of the form that made her the sport's golden girl three years ago.

Bouchard: Sharapova should be banned for life because she is a cheater
Bouchard revealed her inspired display was motivated not only by her own need to back up her criticism, but reward the support of others within the sport too "scared" to speak out against the five-time Grand Slam champion.

"I definitely had some extra motivation going into today. Obviously I had never beaten her before and also given the circumstances.

"I was actually quite inspired before the match because I had a lot of players coming up to me privately wishing me good luck.

Bouchard significantly raised her level against Sharapova (Getty)
"Players I don't normally speak to, getting a lot of texts from people in the tennis world that were just rooting for me.

"I wanted to do it for myself, but also all these people. I really felt support.

"It showed me that most people have my opinion, and they were just maybe scared to speak out."



A meeting between players ranked 258 and 60 in the world wouldn't normally demand the prime time setting of the night session at Madrid's "Magic Box", described by Sharapova as "eerie" with its multiple steel surrounded VIP boxes court side.

They were filled to the rafters, though, whilst back in the cheap seats a large Russian flag draped over unused rows was representative of what has been a warm reception for Sharapova.

Sharapova claimed to be above Bouchard's jibes as she continues to block out the travelling media circus following her every move on her return to the WTA Tour after making the semi-finals in Stuttgart last week.

Eugenie Bouchard obecnie notowana jest na 81. miejscu w rankingu i zdaje sobie sprawę, że nie jest to dobra sytuacja do rozpoczęcia nowego sezonu. - To naprawdę rozczarowujący dla mnie rok, chyba najgorszy w mojej zawodowej karierze - powiedziała dla Montreal Gazette.

Kanadyjka w dalszym ciągu jest pozytywnie nastawiona. - Na pewno nie jestem w najlepszym położeniu. Miałam kontuzje, które mi utrudniały grę i straciłam przez to pewność siebie na korcie. Nie zaprezentowałam się tak jakbym chciała, w przyszłym roku postaram się wypaść dużo lepiej - stwierdziła finalistka Wimbledonu 2014.

W pierwszej połowie sezonu Bouchard osiągnęła półfinał w Sydney i ćwierćfinał w Madrycie. W stolicy Hiszpanii wyeliminowała m.in. Marię Szarapową, którą najmocniej skrytykowała, gdy Rosjanka została zawieszona za doping. W kolejnych 11 turniejach Kanadyjka wygrała tylko trzy mecze.

Bouchard odniosła się również do krytyki jej aktywnej działalności w mediach społecznościowych. - To jest typowe dla mojego pokolenia. Robiłabym to, nawet gdybym nie była znaną osobą. To jest część życia moich przyjaciół, sióstr i całej rodziny. Budzimy się z miską owoców i umieszczamy ten moment na Instagramie. Robię to co wszyscy - mówiła.

Kanadyjka była rewelacją 2014 roku, gdy przebojem wdarła się do czołówki kobiecego tenisa. Osiągnęła półfinały Australian Open i Rolanda Garrosa oraz finał Wimbledonu. Zdobyła też tytuł w Norymberdze, jedyny do tej pory w głównym cyklu. Zadebiutowała w czołowej piątce rankingu i po raz pierwszy zagrała w Mistrzostwach WTA. Kolejne trzy sezony były dla niej słabe. Ukończyła je na 48. (2015), 47. (2016) i 81. miejscu (2017).

Eugenie Bouchard na Instagramie pochwaliła się zdjęciem z finałowego spotkania NFL. Nie byłoby w tym nic dziwnego, gdyby nie obecność Johna Goehrke'a, kibica, którego tenisistka poznała za pomocą Twittera. Teraz tworzą szczęśliwy związek.Podczas zeszłorocznego meczu Super Bowl, gdy Atlanta Falcons prowadziła 28:3 z New England Patriots, John Goehrke zapytał Eugenie Bouchard na Twitterze czy jeśli Patrioci wygrają, to czy tenisistka pójdzie z nim na randkę. Kanadyjka, przy takim prowadzeniu ekipy z Atlanty, była pewna jej zwycięstwa. Tom Brady i spółka odwrócili jednak losy spotkania i zwyciężyli.

Tenisistka dotrzymała słowa i spotkała się z kibicem z Twittera. Para później pojawiła się także na meczu NBA pomiędzy Brooklyn Nets a Milwaukee Bucks.

Razem chętnie pozowali przed fotoreporterami. A jak Kanadyjce podobała się randka z nieznajomym internautą? - Martwiłam się, bo nawet nie wiedziałam, jak on wygląda. Było bardzo fajnie. On jest świetny, bo jest normalny - podsumowała Eugenie.

Para cały czas spotyka się ze sobą. Teraz pojawiła się na finałowym spotkaniu NFL, w którym Philadelphia Eagles pokonali New England Patriots 41:33.

Tenisistka na swoim Instagramie pochwaliła się zdjęciem z meczu:

Eugenie Bouchard jest zadowolona z przejścia eliminacji do Wimbledonu 2018. Kanadyjka ma z Londynu wspaniałe wspomnienia, ale nie chce porównywać obecnej formy do tej sprzed kilku lat.

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10 lat temu wygrała juniorski Wimbledon. Kontuzje dalej niszczą karierę Laury Robson
- Zapracowałam na miejsce w głównej drabince i jestem z tego powodu dumna. Udało mi się w tym tygodniu rozegrać kilka meczów i właśnie tego chciałam. W ostatnim czasie nie miałam ich zbyt wielu - powiedziała Eugenie Bouchard.
Kanadyjka wygrała juniorski Wimbledon w 2012 roku, a w sezonie 2014 osiągnęła finał głównych zawodów, lecz mistrzowskiego tytułu pozbawiła ją Petra Kvitova. Cztery lata temu była już piątą rakietą świata, a jej sukcesy zdawały się być kwestią czasu. Potem jednak zdolna tenisistka obniżyła loty i spadła w rankingu.

Bouchard przystąpiła do eliminacji Wimbledonu 2018 jako 191. singlistka globu. Jej szkoleniowcem został doświadczony Robert Lansdorp, który współpracował z takimi gwiazdami jak Tracy Austin, Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport i Maria Szarapowa. W kwalifikacjach Kanadyjka pokonała kolejno Chinkę Lin Zhu, Czeszkę Karolinę Muchovą i Kolumbijkę Marianę Duque.

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- Czuję, że ostatnio zrobiłam postęp. Nie chcę porównywać siebie do przeszłości, chcę tylko dawać z siebie wszystko co najlepsze każdego dnia - wyznała "Genie". Jej rywalką w I rundzie będzie we wtorek grająca z dziką kartą Brytyjka Gabriella Taylor. W przypadku wygranej możliwe już będzie spotkanie z mistrzynią z Nottingham, Australijką Ashleigh Barty.