After making her professional pickleball debut, Eugenie Bouchard is set to return to the tennis court in March. The Canadian will be joining Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz at the Netflix Slam in Las Vegas.
The event will feature a match between Nadal and Alcaraz, as well as a mixed doubles match featuring Bouchard. In the mixed doubles match, Bouchard will team up with doubles legend Mike Bryan to take on Asia Muhammad and Bob Bryan.
Bouchard, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2014, has not played a professional tennis match since last year.
She made the switch to pickleball in November and has enjoyed early success in the sport. However, the Netflix Slam will mark her return to the tennis court.
“I am so excited to be back on the tennis court playing the Netflix Slam,” Bouchard said in a statement. “Playing alongside Mike Bryan is going to be so much fun and I can’t wait to share the court with Rafa and Carlos as well.”
The Netflix Slam will be a unique event, with the matches being played under a new format.
After making her professional pickleball debut at the PPA Tour Hyundai Masters, Eugenie Bouchard admitted that she may still be getting used to the different movements required in the sport.
“It’s funny, because, in tennis, you’re used to this sliding move and all these different movements, but with pickleball, it’s like ‘nope, you just got to stand there,'” she said. “It’s a totally different game.”
While she found the transition to pickleball challenging, Bouchard said she still enjoyed the experience.
“It was really cool to try something new. It was a blast,” she said. “I just wanted to go out there and have fun. It’s a little more casual, and I thought it would be a good way for me to get comfortable competing again.”
Despite the fact that her pickleball debut didn’t go as planned, Bouchard is still pleased with her decision to try a new sport. “I enjoyed myself out there. I got to meet some new people, get to hit some balls, move around, and be outside,” she said. “I think it was really fun.”
For Bouchard, pickleball may have been a fun experience, but her focus remains on tennis. “My main sport is tennis,” she said. “I’m still very passionate about it and still working hard to get back to the top. It’s good to have something new, but tennis is still my first love.”
As for her immediate tennis plans, Bouchard is hoping to compete at the US Open in August.
“I want to play the US Open and I think it’s a realistic goal,” she said. “I just need to play some tournaments in the lead-up, feel confident, and get my ranking back up.”
Eugenie Bouchard is a pro pickleball player now, but she’s not ready to give up on tennis. “I’m still very passionate about tennis and working hard to get back to the top,” she said.
Despite the challenges of transitioning from tennis to pickleball, Bouchard is determined to succeed in both sports.
“It’s good to have something new, but tennis is still my first love,” she said.
Bouchard is still optimistic about her future in tennis, and she is hoping to compete at the US Open in August. “I just need to play some tournaments in the lead up to the US Open, feel confident, and get my ranking back up,” she said.
For Bouchard, the US Open is a special tournament, as she made her Grand Slam breakthrough there in 2014 when she reached the semifinals. “It’s a big goal of mine to get back to the US Open. It’s one of my favorite tournaments,” she said.
Despite her success at the US Open, Bouchard’s career has been marked by ups and downs. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 5 in 2014, but her form has since declined.
