What’s wrong with Eugenie Bouchard? Let’s ask Twitter, because that always ends well.
She’s got her priorities mixed up. She’s overtraining. She’s not training enough. She needs a new coach. She needs a new team. She’s distracted by her off-court obligations. She’s lost her game.
Thank you everyone for the input, but let’s get one thing straight: The only person who knows why Bouchard is struggling is Eugenie Bouchard.
We can all assume and make educated or uneducated guesses why Bouchard has lost eight of her last nine matches, and why for the first time in her Grand Slam career she’s been bounced in the first round. But instead of assuming, let’s ask a person close to the source.
“She’s not herself,” Canadian Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau told Sportsnet on Tuesday, just hours after witnessing Bouchard’s 6-4, 6-4 loss to Kristina Mladenovic in the opening round at Roland Garros. “Her confidence is not there. She’s not playing the kind of aggressive tennis we’re used to seeing. She needs freedom and confidence for her game, since she really goes for it. It’s all based on not having won many matches. With the expectations [surrounding her] and her new status, it’s made 2015 so far, very challenging.”
Another challenge has been adapting to a new coach. After splitting with longtime coach Nick Saviano at the end of last season, Bouchard hired Sam Sumyk in February.
“Eugenie is working her butt off. It’s not clicking in matches though,” Bruneau said after watching all of Bouchard’s practices in Paris. “I think Sam is a very, very good coach. They’re working really well together and Eugenie is working really, really hard. If I look at how she prepared last year for the French [Open] compared to this year, there’s no difference. Actually, she might be spending more time on the court this year cause she hasn’t been happy with her recent results. The hard work is there. The effort is there.”
But whether or not her priorities are there is the big question. After reaching the 2014 Australian Open and French Open semifinals and following it up with a second-place finish at Wimbledon, Bouchard became a star. The young Canadian signed with sports management giant WME/IMG late last year and inked a new modelling deal.
At times her off-court obligations have raised some eyebrows. Back in February Bouchard decided not to play for Canada’s Fed Cup team in Quebec City, but that same week she was spotted at the Bell Centre in Montreal for a Coca-Cola Canada promotional appearance.
“Everyone wants a piece of her,” Bruneau explained. “She needs to learn how to deal with all those demands. It might weigh on you, with all those commitments. But that doesn’t change her focus. It doesn’t change her effort. She’s hungry and wants to do well, just the same as last year.”
So while we can debate whether or not Bouchard is distracted, whether her priorities are mixed up or whether she’s just going through a rough patch on the court, her team isn’t overly concerned.
“I know she’s not happy or satisfied with her results. That’s a given,” said Bruneau. “Sometimes these tough losses and tough stretches can make you a better player. In the long term, I’m not worried at all about Eugenie. It’s just a tough patch.”