Montreal-born Eugenie Bouchard is playing in her final major professional tennis tournament before she retires here in her hometown at the National Bank Open.
At the IGA stadium on Wednesday, fans were hoping the 31-year-old from Westmount can turn back the clock and make a run for the tournament title.
“I hope she goes as far as she sets her goals, and hopefully she wins,” said Iulia Anescu, a Montrealer.
“I think she has been giving hope to small athletes like little athletes, girls that want to do well in international tournaments.”
Doug Van Hoewyk, a Maine resident, said, “Genie is a fantastic player, she’s represented the game of tennis very well. It’s ecstatic that she’s here in Montreal.”
Martin Faucher, a Blainville resident, added, “I think it’s great to see her back in Montreal and to finish her career here.”
Bouchard has been an inspiration for tennis players across Canada since she reached the 2014 final at Wimbledon and was ranked as high as the fifth-best women’s tennis player in the world.
“She was a really great player, and when I was younger, I played a really big tennis, and she was an inspiration for me,” said Sabrina Casavant, a Trois-Rivières resident. “When I was practicing, I just remembered that I want to be like her, I want to be disciplined. So, she was a great inspiration.”
Marie-Christine Thiboutot said, “For sure she inspired young tennis players, young women, you know, young girls.”
Nancy Saumure, an Ottawa Valley resident, added, “One of the earliest great Canadian female players to break through.”
Valérie Tétrault, the tournament director for the National Bank Open, played against Bouchard and remembers when she was an up-and-coming tennis player.
“I remember Genie when she was under 10 years old. We were training at the same tennis club, and she was just starting, but already she seemed so focused and driven. She had an objective in mind at that age. She was dreaming of becoming not only a professional tennis player but one of the best professional tennis players in the world,” said Tétrault.
On Tuesday, Bouchard said that she wants to be remembered for her efforts.
“That I was good, that I was a good tennis player, but also more importantly, that I really fought really hard and tried my best. I think doing whatever you can do is the most important thing and putting forward the best effort,” said Bouchard.
At this tournament, Bouchard upset Colombia’s Emiliana Arango in the first round Monday night. After her match, she said that she felt like the old Genie and that she told her family that if she won the tournament, she would come out of retirement.
“I think I saw Genie of the past. She played really well, and that’s what’s good to see,” said Casavant.
