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Former World No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard recently featured on the 'Off the Vine' podcast where she recollected her thumping loss in the final of Wimbledon 2014.
Aged just 20, the Canadian made headlines by becoming the first player from her country to make a Grand Slam final. She swept 12 straight sets to qualify for the championship match at the All England Club that year, but was handed a 6-3, 6-0 defeat by former champion Petra Kvitova.
In the podcast, Bouchard pointed out how her run to the final at Wimbledon added a new page to Canadian tennis history. She was, however, dejected at being outmatched in a 55-minute contest.
"I was the first Canadian to ever reach a Grand Slam final,” she said. “I made history in a sense. And I was obviously very proud to do that for myself and my country. Unfortunately, I did lose in the final, I got my bu*t kicked. But you live and you learn.”
The 28-year-old disclosed that the loss was "scarring" and that she had been unsuccessful in convincing herself to watch the replay of the final.
"To this day, I still have not been able to re-watch that match," Bouchard revealed. "Because often we try to watch tapes of ourselves, and films, to learn good matches and bad matches and that one was so scarring, I have not been able to watch it.”
When asked whether she could have done anything different to change the course of the match, Bouchard asserted that there was little she could do against a seasoned grass-courter in Kvitova.
"Kvitova had won Wimbledon before so I just came across an opponent who was playing out of their mind," the Canadian said. "There was not much I could do. It's one of those traumatic experiences. It's like you can't relive that because it's just so painful."
"The goal is to play this summer"- Eugenie Bouchard
Eugenie Bouchard last played a competitive match in Monterrey in 2021. She underwent surgery on her shoulder soon after and has since been out of action. Her ranking, as a result, has dropped outside the top 1000.
During the podcast, the Canadian gave an update on her return to the tour. She revealed that she has been able to begin training and hopes to make a comeback at Roland Garros or Wimbledon later this season.
"I've just been rehabbing," Bouchard said. "I've been able to get back on the court. I'm training right now but I haven't played my first tournament yet. The goal is to play this summer. So I'm hoping either the French Open or Wimbledon will be my first one back. It's been a long process. You have to be patient. I have to do these exercises every single day. It can get a little monotonous and tedious, so it has been a tough time in that sense."
