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The Bouchard Effect on Canadian Tennis

“Pressure is a Privilege” is a quote attributed to tennis legend Billie Jean King. And I would think Eugenie Bouchard is feeling the pressure today as she prepares for her opening match in her home country’s Rogers Cup. Last year the Canadian was ranked as high as #5 on the WTA circuit but this year has been a stark contrast to that performance. Heading into this week’s tournament she has an 8-14 win loss record this year having lost 12 of her last 14 matches.

The Bouchard Effect on Canadian Tennis

A lingering abdominal injury has taken the blame for many of the losses but most observers believe the problem is much deeper than that. Coaching changes may also be playing a role. At the end of 2014 she parted ways with Nick Saviano, her coach from 2006-2014. It is interesting to note that shortly after the split from Bouchard Saviano began working with American Sloane Stephens, currently ranked #29 in the world, and last week in Washington Stephens won her maiden WTA title. Bouchard then joined forces with Sam Sumyk, the former coach of Victoria Azarenka, who is credited with guiding her to Grand Slam wins and the #1 ranking in early 2015 but in the wake of her poor showings last week she released him from his duties.

Many writers and sports analysts have suggested that life off the court may be contributing to her troubles on the court. After her successes Bouchard signed with IMG to represent her both in her tennis activities and her modeling career. An endorsement deal with Coca-Cola, a fashion photo spread in Canada’s lifestyle magazine Flare, and her responsibilities with tournament sponsor Rogers have certainly kept her busy. Bouchard has the talent to get her game back together and get the results she is capable of; it just may take some time and some very hard work.

But let’s look at what Bouchard has done for Canadian Tennis. The successes of both Bouchard and Milos Raonic on the men’s tour has brought tennis to the forefront of the Canadian sports scene. Davis Cup matches have received full television coverage as did the women’s Fed Cup matches. Club players are now following the professional game a little more closely watching how THEIR players are doing. Admission to qualifying weekend at the Rogers Cup was free, and the grounds were busy; most of the matches on the outer court had lots of spectators and all the fan activities were well attended. Karl Hale, tournament director of the Rogers Cup in Toronto, says so far ticket sales have increased by 10% over 2013 sale–the last time the women played in Toronto.

It is often said that success breeds success, and I believe that we are seeing that with Canadian tennis. The rise of Milos Raonic, now ranked #10 on the ATP tour, was closely followed by that of Vasek Pospisil, now ranked #45 on the ATP tour. The success of these two players have given the younger Canadians the belief that it is possible to be a winner. Most recently that could be seen in the run of the youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime at the ATP Challenger event in Granby. The 14 year old from Quebec became the youngest player ever to win in the main draw of a Challenger event and earn ATP points.

On the women’s side, Bouchard is also being followed by players who now see that success is possible. Carol Zhao from Richmond Hill, Ontario is a successful NCAA player on the Stanford University Cardinal. Zhao also won a gold medal in ladies doubles at the Pan Am games in Toronto this summer with partner Gabriela Dabrowski. Charlotte Robillard-Gillette of Montreal is in the midst of a successful junior career; the 16 year old has won three ITF junior singles titles. Robillard-Gillette was given a wild card in the qualifying tournament for the Rogers Cup but she was defeated in the first round.

No matter what the outcome of tonight’s match against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, Canadian fans should be thankful that Bouchard is out there leading the way for the next generation of players.

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