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Eugenie Bouchard's subpar performance in a recent mixed doubles pickleball match has left tennis fans baffled.
Bouchard decided to join the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) in September of last year. She had a professional pickleball debut to forget in January 2024, losing all three of her matches at the Hyundai Masters in California.
The Canadian's struggles on the PPA tour appear to have persisted as she recently delivered a poor performance in a mixed doubles match. A compilation of Eugenie Bouchard's 'lowlights' from the match circulated on social media, featuring numerous instances of her sending her ball into the net and missing several seemingly easy shots.
Given her less-than-stellar performance on the PPA tour, tennis fans were left baffled by the 29-year-old's decision to transition to pickleball.
"Why give up tennis for this?" a fan posted.
"Bouchard should’ve tennis another real honest chance instead of whatever this is," another fan wrote.
Several fans also harshly criticized her performance, with one of them labeling it a "disaster."
"All these months practicing just to show up as a disaster," one fan commented.
"Not her being sh*t at pickleball too," another fan chimed in.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Eugenie Bouchard on transitioning from tennis to pickleball: "I know people think you can easily transition, I'm learning that's not the case"
Eugenie Bouchard recently took part in the Women's Tennis Classic exhibition match against Caroline Wozniacki at the 2024 Dallas Open. While at the event, the Canadian opened up about the challenges of making the transition from tennis to pickleball.
The 29-year-old emphasized the distinct skill sets required for each sport and admitted to feeling out of her element on the pickleball court.
"It's completely different sports. I know people think you can easily transition and I'm learning that's not the case. It is definitely a different sport, requires different skill sets. So I do obviously don't feel in my element as much with pickleball. So in the sense of appreciating tennis, yes, when I get back on the court I'm like, 'Okay, this is what I've done for 25 years. This is what I know,'" Eugenie Bouchard said.
The Canadian also candidly discussed her subpar pickleball debut, conceding that she got "smoked" in her opening singles match. However, she highlighted her learning curve and acknowledged her growing comfort with pickleball.
"I played in Palm Springs for my first event in mid-January, and I was very, very nervous, like wanting to throw up before my first match. I got totally smoked in the first game that I played but I improved as the day went on, I had singles and mixed doubles and then women’s doubles, all in the same day. And by the last match I was very like feeling much more comfortable on the court," she said.
