Eugenie Bouchard motivated to "keep going for more" after Madrid Open stint
Eugenie Bouchard has declared that her experience at the 2023 Madrid Open has inspired her to "keep going" for more.
Bouchard was once a force to be reckoned with on the court and a World No. 5 player. The 29-year-old Canadian reached her first and only Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 2014, also making semifinal appearances at the Australian Open and the French Open that same year.
However, a string of mishaps with injuries — the most recent of which was a shoulder injury which kept her out of action for 17 months in 2021 and 2022 — sent her career into a tailspin.
Bouchard continued her resurgence on the WTA Tour at the 2023 Madrid Open, where she defeated Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska to claim her first main draw win at the WTA 1000 tournament in six years.
Bouchard then faced fellow French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan in the second round. Unfortunately, she was eliminated after losing to the Italian in straight sets, 2-6, 5-7. She went 3-for-3 on breakpoints during the match but was broken six times by Trevisan, who is the World No. 20.
Following that, Eugenie Bouchard took to Twitter to say that winning matches in the Spanish capital was rewarding after all of the time she spent in rehab and training over the last few months. The Canadian also stated that she is now "motivated" to strive for more.
"It’s been rewarding to win matches this week after all the time spent rehabbing & training. Motivated to keep going for more," the Montreal native wrote.
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It’s been rewarding to win matches this week after all the time spent rehabbing & training. Motivated to keep going for more 💪🏼 https://t.co/oH3FWzIdao
What exactly inspired Eugenie Bouchard to make a comeback?
Eugenie Bouchard sat down for an interview with the WTA while competing in the Madrid Open and revealed why she pushed herself to make a comeback. She stated that while she could spend the rest of her life sitting on her couch and watching Netflix, she is a fighter who loves working hard -- an attitude that pushed her to seek out the action on the court once more.
"You know. I could. I could just chill, I guess, for the rest of my life, but that’s not who I am. That’s why I achieved the success I did. Because I’m a fighter and I love to work hard. And I could sit on my couch and watch Netflix -- and that sounds appealing for sure -- but after two days I would go crazy," Bouchard said.
"I would need a project, something to do and I’m like, 'While I’m physically still young enough why not still do tennis?' I’ll pursue other projects later on, but right now let me just see what I can do until I decide not to play anymore," she added.