PARIS — There was no passing of the torch Thursday from Maria Sharapova to Eugenie Bouchard, the 20-year-old Canadian seen as the heir apparent to her perch as the face of women’s tennis. But despite the loss, Bouchard showed once again that she belongs on the big stage.
In a highly-anticipated, easily-hyped meeting between two of the game’s most striking performers, Sharapova won their French Open semifinal 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, surviving a late charge by Bouchard in the second set as well as a third set that was far more competitive than the first. The loudest applause of the day was reserved for Bouchard as she exited the court, from a crowd she had won over not only for being a francophone, but with her fearless play.
Sharapova, a 27-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion, said she recognized that Bouchard was becoming a more and more dangerous force on the tour since their last meeting one year ago in the second round of the French Open, which she won 6-2, 6-4. Since then, Bouchard was named 2013 WTA Newcomer of the Year, and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open. She also won her first career title in Nuremberg the week before the French Open.
“I think she’s creating situations and putting herself in positions where she can go into a match like today and play freely and loosely and use this experience to her benefit,” Sharapova said of Bouchard. “Because after a match like this, I don’t feel that she has much to lose. I know she’s been in a semifinal before in Australia. She’s been having a great year. She’s improved so much and everything is going on the way up right now. In a way, it’s always tougher to play opponents like that because they play quite freely and they really go for their shots. They have nothing to lose, and you see that in their attitude and their game.”
Bouchard believes that she has been able to come closer to Sharapova not just in terms of her tennis, but also her aura on the biggest stages of the sport.
“She always has a strong presence on the court, and I try to do the same, always be there on every single point.” said Bouchard. “I know she was there on very single point today. But that’s how it is when you play a great champion. You definitely feel their presence. For me, I want to do that as well on the court. I think it elevates the match, just makes it more intense. And I felt good out there.”
But despite the overall positive feeling, Bouchard insisted that she wanted more.
“I’m always disappointed with a loss,” she said. “I expect a lot from myself.”
She’s not the only one who does.
“She’s a hard worker, she’s very committed, she’s very serious,” said her coach Nick Saviano. “It’s about improving. It’s about being the best she can be. And that’s what we do. We do that every day. We’ll analyze this, and it’s all about being the best she can be.
“The goal today — it sounds odd — was not so much the winning. The goal today was to give herself the opportunity to play as well as she can on every point, stay focused in the moment on every point, knowing that the byproduct of that is going to give her the best chance to win.”
That Bouchard has been able to stay focused despite the enormity of Grand Slam events has especially impressed her agent, Sam Duvall.
“To do it in the first two Slams of the year, on the big stage, is something that’s special, for sure,” said Duvall. “That’s what’s rare about the champions. They are able to maintain a level at the most crucial stages. For us, it’s great. For her, her coaches, her family, agents, it’s all good.”
It’s also good for Stacey Allaster, the former head of Tennis Canada who is now the chief executive of the Women’s Tennis Association.
“I cannot deny that this is a special moment for Canadian tennis, and I’m a very proud Canadian,” said Allaster. “This has been a dream for me, to have a top Canadian on the tour with me.”
When Allaster left Tennis Canada eight years ago, a scholarship was established in her name. The first recipient was Genie Bouchard, then only 12.
“I said to her, ‘I need you on the tour and I’ll be waiting for you,’” Allaster continued. “As I sat and watched her play, I was really excited for her. She’s a great ambassador for herself, for Tennis Canada, and for the WTA.”
Allaster was particularly struck by a conversation the two had after Bouchard’s loss to Sharapova last year.
“She’s got the mind of a champion and the heart of a champion,” Allaster said. “Last year, when she lost in the Round of 64, I saw her and I said, ‘Hey, good effort.’ And she looked at me (strangely). And I said ‘Hey, you won a round at a Slam, and you just lost to the defending champion, Maria Sharapova.’ And she turned to me and she said ‘Stace, I lost.’ That tells you everything.”
Allaster also doesn’t mind that, like Sharapova, Bouchard understands the need to sell the sport.
“She really understands that ultimately we are in the entertainment business, and she engages so well with the fans. We need that level of engagement to keep women’s tennis in the forefront of fans’ minds.”
Though Sharapova is the highest-paid female athlete in the world, and one of the main reasons that women’s tennis has continued to be the most successful women’s sport in the world, Allaster hopes that Bouchard can keep her own identity, despite the inevitable comparisons.
“I want Genie Bouchard to be Genie Bouchard,” she said. “There’s no question that Maria Sharapova is one of the greatest to play our sport, and she’s a fantastic ambassador for women’s tennis. I admire her for her commitment to the sport. She loves it, she loves to win, she never gives up, and she has performed so well on the court but she’s also been a very successful businesswoman off the court.
“So if I was a young Genie Bouchard, and someone referred to me as a young Maria Sharapova, I would find that as quite a compliment. But at the end of the day, she’s going to build her own brand. And it’s really exciting for women’s tennis.”