Bouchard bids adieu to tennis with throwback performance at hometown National Bank Open

MONTREAL (AP) – Genie Bouchard didn’t look like a player limping into retirement.

You’d be forgiven for thinking she was still in her prime.

On center court in her hometown, Bouchard delivered a thrilling performance – and a heartfelt goodbye to tennis – with a hard-fought loss in her final match Wednesday night.

“I’ve always had a feeling I would end my career here,” Bouchard said. “Montreal is where I was born and raised, so it just feels right. An emotional moment. I think I just wanted a moment like this because my career deserved a moment like this.

“I really think I got it tonight, and I’m so grateful for that.”

The 31-year-old bowed out 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the National Bank Open’s second round against 17th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland but electrified the crowd against a top-tier opponent – showing flashes of the assertive game that once powered her rise to world No. 5 in 2014.

So is she sure about retiring?

“My sister said she started a petition with fans in the crowd, and everyone signed it, so now I have no choice but to rescind my retirement,” Bouchard said, smiling. “But there’s a lot of hard work that goes into tennis. It was great to be able to perform well, but it’s such a tough life of sacrifice and hard work.

“I’ve given so much to tennis, and it’s given me so much, but I do feel ready to move on from that and do other things in life, but I will forever be grateful for what tennis has given me.”

Bouchard had extended her Montreal run with a throwback first-round upset Monday night against Emiliana Arango, her first WTA Tour victory since 2023.

The local favorite turned back the clock again Wednesday by rallying from down a set, but Bencic held on to win the match in two hours, 16 minutes.

Fans packing the stands at IGA Stadium chanted “Let’s Go Genie!” and grew louder throughout the night, standing for several ovations.

Bouchard returned the favor with an emotional, teary-eyed speech during an on-court ceremony.

“It’s so special to play my last match here in Montreal, on this court, in front of you guys,” she said. “I remember being a little kid, sitting in these stands, hoping and dreaming that I would play on this court one day.

“It feels like such a full-circle moment.”

And her career almost continued a little longer.

After a difficult first set, Bouchard bounced back to win the second and went up a break early in the third, winning a back-and-forth third game when Bencic’s shot dipped into the net on the Canadian’s fifth breakpoint opportunity.

Bencic regrouped and broke back to tie at 3-3 as Bouchard sprayed shots wide and long. Trailing 5-4 and needing to hold serve, Bouchard fell in a 40-love hole and sent her backhand wide while defending the second match point, ending her upset bid.

“I knew I could win the match,” she said. “It was really close from the second onward.”

Instead, it marks the end of a roller-coaster career.

Bouchard peaked during the 2014 season, winning her only WTA singles title, reaching the Australian Open and French Open semis and becoming the first Canadian to play in a Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon.

But Bouchard’s rapid rise at 20 also quickly came falling down after her 6-3, 6-0 loss to Petra Kvitova at the All England Club.

Her highly anticipated homecoming one month later ended abruptly with a 6-0, 2-6, 6-0 loss against American qualifier Shelby Rogers at the then-called Rogers Cup. And the following year, Bouchard crashed out of the French Open and Wimbledon first rounds as losing streaks piled up.

A run to the U.S. Open fourth round hinted at a return to form, until Bouchard suffered a concussion from slipping in the locker room – for which she later filed a lawsuit – forcing her to withdraw from the tournament.

In recent years, Bouchard has sporadically played on the pro tennis circuit, spending more time on the PPA Pickleball Tour, where she ranks 12th in singles.

She ramped up for her final event with the WTA 125 Hall of Fame Open in July – her first tournament since last year’s National Bank Open – and lost her opener in straight sets.

As for what’s next, Bouchard says she looks forward to sleeping in, going on vacation and reflecting on what she wants to do with the rest of her life.

“I feel like I missed out because I didn’t go to college and didn’t go to school,” she said. “Diving into the TV stuff more is definitely something I enjoy, so that’s a probable next step. I mean, are any of you guys hiring (laughing)? I don’t know how to even write – what do you even call it when you …”.

The word Bouchard was looking for? Resume.

“I don’t even have one of those,” she said. “Maybe my agent can come up with one for me. I’m not used to doing that.”