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Former World No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard recently appeared on the Pardon My Take podcast where she shared some interesting anecdotes from her life on the tour, including hostile warm-up sessions with long-time rival Maria Sharapova.
The now-retired Russian was a nemesis of sorts for Bouchard both on and off the court, beating the Canadian four times before losing in their final meeting in 2017. There was no love lost between the two, with Bouchard labeling Sharapova a "cheater" following the Russian's infamous doping ban in 2016.
During the podcast, the hosts asked the 28-year-old if she ever found a player to be a "d**k" (a nuisance) during pre-match warm-ups. Eugenie Bouchard was quick to name Sharapova, claiming that the Russian would often strike the ball hard in a futile attempt at intimidating her prior to the match.
"Have you ever played a warm-up with anyone and they were just being a d**k?", asked one of the podcast hosts.
"Oh yeah Sharapova," Bouchard replied. "She just tries to hit the ball as hard as she can in the warm-up. It’s so annoying. She’s trying to intimidate you but it didn’t work on me."
When asked whether she tried taking the matter to the umpire, the 2014 Wimbledon finalist explained that the warm-up itself is not a mandatory practice and hence there is little an umpire can do to regulate it.
"The umpire can’t force you to do anything," she continued. "Ultimately the umpire can’t force the person to warm up. You could just walk on the court and decide not to warm up if you don’t want to but normally most of us just do some easy rallying to feel good and some try to do winners and try hit as hard as they can."
Eugenie Bouchard, nevertheless, hailed the five-time Grand Slam champion as a "great competitor" and expressed her disappointment at not having another chance at taking the court against her.
"Unfortunately we can’t play anymore, I mean, she’s a great competitor and we had battles for sure but uh no we can’t play anymore. She’s retired," the Canadian added.
Bouchard was last seen in action in Monterrey in March 2021. Her ranking, as a result, has fallen outside the top 1000. Her schedule for the 2022 season remains uncertain at the moment.
Maria Sharapova announces pregnancy
Former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce her pregnancy. The 35-year-old Russian, who is expecting her first child, has been in a long-term relationship with British businessman Alexander Gilkes.
A number of figures from the tennis fraternity congratulated the Russian on the news. Billie Jean King Cup teammate Elena Vesnina conveyed her wishes to Sharapova and mentioned that she was excited for her next chapter.
"OMG, Congratulations! So excited for you!," commented Elena Vesnina on Sharapova's post.
Legendary player Billie Jean King also took the opportunity to congratulate the soon-to-be parents.
"Congratulations from both of us! What wonderful news!," wrote Billie Jean King.
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