Genie Bouchard is lacking confidence on the tennis court these days and she admitted as much Tuesday after being eliminated in the opening round of the Rogers Cup.
The Westmount, Que., native fell 6-3, 6-4 to Croatia’s Donna Vekic and let out some of her frustration when speaking with media, specifically addressing the pressure on her to represent the sport of tennis in Canada.
“You have no idea what my life is like and what my days are like,” Bouchard said.
Bouchard sat No. 70 in the world in the latest WTA rankings, a far cry from the No. 5 spot she occupied three years ago. She was asked about 17-year-old Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., and Bouchard wished her continued success.
“She’s a good player. I practised a little bit with her in D.C. last week and I think she had a good run last week, so someone else can carry the burden of Canada,” Bouchard said.
Bouchard is only 23, but has been one of the faces of tennis in Canada—alongside Milos Raonic—since she began having success early in her professional career. The constant attention has been a heavy weight on her shoulders.
“I guess I’m relatively young, but I feel old in a way, you know?” she added. “I’ve been on tour a bunch of years already and I think it’s important to feel the pressure of time a little bit, to get into action and not just relax and let years go by. That would be the worst thing I could do.
“If the media doesn’t put pressure on me that would be nice.”
Despite being eliminated from the singles tournament, Bouchard managed to win a first-round doubles match with her partner, world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova.
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