Bouchard is one of the most accomplished Canadian players of all time, with two WTA titles, 11 finals appearances and a total record of 299 wins and 230 losses.David Kirouac/Reuters
Genie Bouchard’s final professional tennis match was a remarkable three-setter against World No. 19 Belinda Bencic on Wednesday night at the National Bank Open, followed by a standing ovation in her hometown and an emotional goodbye.
The 31-year-old unranked wildcard played lights-out tennis, and had the crowd on its feet all night in Montreal before ultimately losing 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to the No. 17th seed from Switzerland in their second-round match.
“It feels like a full circle moment to finish my career here,” said Bouchard to the crowd through tears. Then she directed her attention to her mother, father, sisters and brother: “I want you to know that when this crowd cheers for me, they’re cheering for you too, because I wouldn’t be here without you.”
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Canada’s former World No. 5 and Wimbledon finalist came back to where her she first took up the sport – in Montreal – to officially retire from pro tennis, before her family and friends.
One of Canada’s most accomplished tennis players ever, Bouchard received a main draw wild card for the WTA Masters 1000 event. Yet she put that retirement on ice Monday by notching a plucky win in her first-round match, stunning Colombia’s Emiliana Arango 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. She said she’d felt like her old self.
What made Monday’s win so unexpected was that Bouchard has largely moved away from pro tennis in recent years. She’s played just three matches this year. Bouchard has been more focused on the PPA Pickleball Tour, where she ranks 12th in singles.
Bouchard was looking to ride the big wave of support in Montreal again Wednesday.
“Genie in a Bottle” played over the loud speakers in the stadium before the match, the same Christina Aguilera song that has followed the Canadian into so many tennis stadiums around the world.
Bouchard received a standing ovation as she bid an emotional goodbye to her hometown.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
Bouchard and Bencic had played three times previously, with the 28-year-old from Switzerland wining all three – twice in 2015 and once in 2022.
Bouchard emerged with her left thigh heavily taped to face the recent Wimbledon semi-finalist. Bencic broke her early in the first set and the Canadian stuck with her a little longer before the Swiss broke her again and finished the set swiftly.
Bouchard played more desperate, more assertive in the second set. She held serve, kept unforced errors low and delivered some big cross-court winners, and the crowd noise swelled. Finally, Bouchard broke Bencic, and the fans came to their feet. She claimed the set.
Bencic was cracking at moments, under the tension in the building. Bouchard looked for much of the night like she could win, like she belonged on court with a WTA top 20 player. But the Swiss edged past her in the end, and made quick of her post-match interview to give Bouchard the stage.
Afterward a video montage played inside the stadium, clips of her biggest wins, her Billie Jean King Cup ties for Canada, with figures in Canadian tennis speaking about her legacy and impact on tennis.
Bouchard leaves the game as one of the most accomplished Canadian players of all time. Her career includes two WTA titles (one in singles, one in doubles), 11 finals appearances (seven in singles) and a total record of 299 wins and 230 losses. As a junior, she won a girls’ title at Wimbledon.
In 2014, Bouchard skyrocketed to a career-high No. 5 in the WTA world rankings. That year, she made the semi-finals at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. Then she became the first Canadian woman in the Open Era to contest a Grand Slam singles final when she finished runner-up to Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon.
She had a big hand in popularizing tennis in Canada with her accomplishments.