Eugenie Bouchard Dives into Pickleball: A New Chapter in her Career

Of course, Eugenie Bouchard had to deal with various injuries (right shoulder, knee, etc.), which prevented her from validly defending her chances. But she herself undoubtedly saw herself adding several other lines to her list of achievements. In the meantime, the 29-year-old Quebecer will try to have some fun again starting this Wednesday during a pro… pickleball tournament in Palm Springs. She will compete in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. “It’s interesting to do something new,” she explains. I really like having battles that force me to try something new. That’s why I decided to do this. I don’t really know what to expect. I think it’s better not to have expectations and just do my best, because it’s my first tournament in a new sport. I’m just going to try to have fun and not embarrass myself.”

Between tennis, table tennis, padel and badminton

For the Palm Springs Masters, it’s great publicity. For this booming sport too. A mix of tennis, padel, badminton and table tennis, pickleball is played with a perforated plastic ball and rackets larger than table tennis but smaller than tennis. The pitch is about half the size of a tennis court. “In tennis, I really like hitting the ball,” explains the Canadian. My reaction time is also good in pickleball because the ball is different and comes slower. I feel like I have a lot of time when I’m in net. I need to improve touch balls at the net since these finesse shots are rarer in tennis. I need to adjust my power.”

Match exhibition à Delray Beach

The Quebecer has now fallen to 293rd in the WTA rankings. But if she tries her luck at pickleball, she doesn’t forget her childhood love: tennis. She still wants to play there, although her last tournament was already in September, where she reached the second round in Mexico. She will also play an exhibition match just before the start of the Delray Beach tournament in February. “I train for pickleball but I also continue training for tennis,” she assures.

With a former ATP top 10

In any case, pickleball is attracting more and more people. In Palm Springs alone, during the Hyundai Masters which will end this Sunday, we will be able to see Jack Sock (ex-ATP 8), Sam Querrey (ex-ATP 11) and Donald Young (ex-ATP 38) in action. Previously, it was Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, John McEnroe, Andy Roddick and even Michael Chang and Maria Sharapova who brought their notoriety to this sport. Where Eugenie Bouchard, whose photos on her social networks make you think of a career as an influencer, just hopes to have fun. For now…

2024-01-09 16:46:38
#tennis #Eugenie #Bouchard #moves #pickleball #fun