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Eugenie Bouchard

The Tennis and Twitter Connection

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Eugenie Bouchard and Laura Robson’s Gangnam Style took social media by storm in October.

Rebecca Marino announced on Wednesday that she was stepping away from her tennis career, perhaps for good. The Canadian’s ranking had slipped to outside the top 400 after returning from a seven-month absence, but she appeared to be approaching 2013 with a fresh mentality. A few days earlier, the former World No. 38 spoke candidly to The New York Times about the effect that online abuse had on her decision to take a break from tennis. Following her second announcement, Marino held a conference call where she also spoke openly about her struggles with depression.
While Marino made it clear that she had been suffering from depression for the better part of six years and sought help during her sabbatical last year, her story is one of many in the shark tank that is a tennis player’s relationship with social media as a whole.
Tennis has a large online following which far outweighs its characterization as a ‘niche sport.’ The rise of social media over the better part of the past five years has allowed fans access to a player’s inner circle. First, players posted exclusive content on their websites and next came personal pictures and stories on their official Facebook pages. Both of these could be monitored by a third party, but Twitter added another dimension; it allowed fans to theoretically interact directly with players. As tennis players travel the world week in and week out, their fans get a chance to see the world as they do.
Teen sensations Laura Robson and Eugenie Bouchard, who are both avid tweeters, took the social networking site by storm in October when they released their version of the popular ‘Gangnam Style’ dance craze featuring cameos by Heather Watson, Maria Sharapova, Samantha Stosur, Fernando Verdasco, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the WTA physio team. It may have never crossed their minds to create this gem of the Internet, nor may it have been available for fans if it weren’t for sites like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

With all the good, however, comes the bad.
As one would imagine, not all of this fan interaction is positive. There is perhaps an unwritten rule in the tennis-tweeting community to ‘never @ the player you’re speaking negatively of,’ but if players really wanted to find negative comments written about them, Twitter makes it all too easy for them to do so. Not only can players scroll through their mentions to read tweets directly composed to them, they can search their surname to find all tweets of which they are the subject.
Following Robson’s three-set loss to Yulia Putintseva in Dubai on Monday, she received her fair share of the abuse that has unfortunately become infamous on the social networking site. Some of the negative comments may have led to the Brit briefly deactivating her account; however, she reinstated it less than a day later. As Marino confirmed to The New York Times, much of the abuse comes from disgruntled bettors who lost money betting on a match. The majority of these comments are not even constructive in nature; they are hateful, personal attacks laced with profanity.
To avoid all of this, some players don’t even manage their own accounts, or merely hook it up to tweet links from their Facebook pages; setups like this provide little or no fan interaction. Other players who enjoy interacting with their fans, such as Paul-Henri Mathieu, have tried their best to take a stand.


While there is much more to Rebecca Marino’s story than just online abuse, it shows that at the end of the day, no one really knows much about the majority of the people he or she is interacting with online. The power of anonymity on the Internet is an incredible thing; no one really knows how overly abusive or negative comments, coupled with whatever else a player is dealing with, can affect them.


Just because an athlete is in the public eye doesn’t mean he or she should be treated with any less respect; many smartphones have the capability to sync with Twitter, so the vitriol and abuse, along with the praise and support, is as close as a player’s back pocket. Repeated encounters with this would no doubt have an effect on just about everyone.

Eugenie Bouchard eager for her next tennis transition

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Eugenie Bouchard is ready for her first full year on the pro circuit in 2013.

By Melissa Boyd

Dec. 3, 2012 — Eugenie Bouchard has been on the Canadian tennis radar for almost as long as she has been swinging a racquet. Labeled early on as the potential ‘next one’ to follow in the footsteps of Carling Bassett-Seguso, Helen Kelesi, and Aleksandra Wozniak, Bouchard has begun carving her own path to greatness thanks to a breakout season in 2012.
The 18-year-old native of Montreal made history in July when she was crowned girls’ singles and doubles champion at Wimbledon, becoming the first Canadian ever to win a Grand Slam singles title. Bouchard actually won 19 consecutive matches this summer with her Wimbledon triumph sandwiched between titles at the ITF junior event in Roehampton and the $25,000 pro Challenger in Granby.
“Winning Wimbledon was a really tough tourney. It was a junior (event). I had the pressure all week. People expected me to win because I was playing women younger than me. So it was a big mental test and I was really proud that I was able to come through,” said Bouchard in an interview last week with a select group of reporters.
Many in attendance on Court 1 at SW19 were impressed with Bouchard’s poise and maturity in posting a convincing win over Elina Svitolina in the Wimbledon girls’ singles final on one of the biggest stages in tennis. She put her mental toughness on display at the Rogers Cup in Montreal when she out-toughed Shahar Peer, one of the best competitors in the women’s game, to earn her first Top 50 victory.
Perhaps the most impressive stretch of Bouchard’s year came during the Fall indoor season when she put her aggressive style of play on full display, reaching the final at the Saguneay Challenger and the following week winning her first $50,000 Challenger in Toronto. Bouchard suffocated her opponents with her offense-first mentality, losing just a handful of games en route to the title in Toronto and dominating Melanie Oudin in the Saguenay semifinals. The run secured her place in the Australian Open qualifying draw which will be her first Grand Slam as a pro.
“I had great coaches when I was young and they taught me to take the ball on the rise. I think that’s it really important in the women’s game,” said Bouchard. “Of course you want to hit fast, but you want to hit it early as well … Hitting it fast takes time away from your opponent.”
With 2012 now in her rear view mirror and the tennis world at her fingertips, Bouchard is ready to make the transition to becoming a full-time WTA pro in 2013. She is fully aware of the challenges awaiting her if she wants to prove that her 2012 campaign was no fluke.
“The top players in the world have a little something extra,” said Bouchard. “They don’t make mistakes and they don’t give you any free points, you have to earn them.”
Even though her career is just getting started, Bouchard is already turning heads off the court as much as she is impressing on it. Their obvious physical likeness and similar game styles have people drawing comparisons between the Canadian and her idol Maria Sharapova. Not to mention that Bouchard was recently chosen by Sharapova to wear her line of Nike tennis clothing. She is the whole package and her bubbly personality is a hit with fans. Even though it’s early, it’s hard not to get wrapped up in the excitement surrounding Bouchard and she knows that the onus is now on her to deliver on those expectations and send a message that the future is now.
“There is pressure from everyone around me, but I already put a lot of pressure on myself,” said Bouchard. “It’s nice to know that people think I am going to be good because that’s what I believe too, but I have to focus on what I have to do to become that player.”

Inaugural Raonic Race for Kids tees up Face-off weekend in Toronto

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Andy Roddick & Serena Williams joined Milos Raonic at his inaugural Raonic Race for Kids event in Toronto.

By Melissa Boyd

TORONTO (November 16, 2012) — Two days after launching his foundation to support disadvantaged children, Milos Raonic hosted his first fundraising event, the Raonic Race for Kids, at the Toronto Lawn and Tennis Club with the help of a few Toronto celebrities and tennis stars.
A total of ten teams raised money to participate in the inaugural race and each drafted an honorary celebrity captain to join their squad, choosing from the likes of Raonic, junior Wimbledon champion Eugenie Bouchard, Daniel Nestor, former NHL player Brad Marsh, and Canadian Football League legend Damon Allen. “Romano’s Racers” raised the most  money through their fundraising efforts and were rewarded by having Raonic as their captain.
Teams competed in eleven three-minute challenges that tested both their physical and intellectual abilities including mini-putt, ping-pong, and making a puzzle. Creative costumes, a theme song, and an original name characterized each team.

Eugenie Bouchard served as honorary captain for “The Thunderballs”

The highlight of the evening came when Andy Roddick and Serena Williams made a surprise appearance to present prizes and a trophy to the highest scoring team. The winning team was “The Aces” captained by Toronto television personality Carson Arthur. The American super duo also joined Raonic for a Q and A session which covered topics like the trio’s big serves, trash-talking, and what Roddick has been up to since retiring from the game at the U.S. Open this year.
The first edition of the Raonic Race for Kids raised just over $160,000 which will be put towards the Milos Raonic Foundation and Tennis Canada’s “Let’s Make Tennis Matter for Kids” campaign. The Raonic foundation will create and support initiatives to reduce economic, physical, and other barriers that may prevent disadvantaged children from becoming healthy, productive members of society.
“Tennis has had a profound impact on my life in so many positive ways,” Raonic said. “Opportunities that were available to me as I grew up are not always as accessible to other children and youth and in many cases this is often due to circumstances that are completely beyond their control.”
Raonic, Roddick, Williams, and Agnieszka Radwanska will take part in the Sport Chek Face-off tonight at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
Milos Raonic & his team make their entrance at the race.

 

Popcorn tennis: lets, winners and aces from Thursday at the Citi Open

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By Romi Cvitkovic

A quick report on the happenings and results of the Citi Open including winners, wildcards, aces and overrules of various events around the grounds.
Major Hold: We’ve all by now heard about Sam Querrey’s great comeback to catapult up the rankings to world No. 38 after being outside of the top 100 just four months ago. But today at the Citi Open versus Benjamin Becker, Querrey managed to win all, yes ALL, 24 of his first serves for the match. By no means an easy opponent, Becker stayed with Querrey exchanging four breaks of serve between the two, and only lost 6-4, 6-3. The summer season continues to favor the young American and perhaps he can repeat his stellar 2010 when he won three titles in the summer alone.
Overrule: As the first women’s match of the whole week on stadium court, Eugenie Bouchard and Sloane Stephens did not disappoint. What did, however, was the scheduling. Although the men’s tournament is at a higher level, the women should have at least been given a handful of matches on stadium court prior to today’s quarterfinal round. What is of note though is that Stephens was placed on stadium court, while fellow American Sam Querrey and his doubles partner Kevin Anderson took on the duo of Eric Butorac and Paul Hanley on Grandstand 2 in an overcapacity crowd.
Winner: After looking a bit rough around the edges in his first match in D.C., Mardy Fish slipped past wildcard and Los Angeles finalist Ricardas Berankis in an easy 6-3, 6-1 victory. Not visibly hampered by his ankle injury sustained in Atlanta, Fish is favorable to reach the semifinals where he could potentially meet another veteran of the Tour, Tommy Haas. But he’ll have to work on his baseline game a bit, as he won just 16 of 36 points from the back of the court.
Wildcards: Steve Johnson and his doubles partner Drew Courtney are living the dream in Washington, D.C. Johnson, currently No. 360 in singles and No. 171 in doubles, and Courtney, No. 827 in doubles and unranked in singles were handed some luck when their second round opponent and No. 4 seed pulled out due to injury. They were replaced by a valiant alternate team, but the American duo was already well-adjusted to the courts and they pulled out a significant win today to land a spot in the men’s doubles quarterfinals. They next face Treat Huey and Dominic Inglot, who themselves pulled off an upset as they defeated the No. 2 seed of Robert Farah and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

James Blake (L) with doubles partner Tim Smyczek at the Citi Open (Photo credit Romana Cvitkovic)

Let: Just two days after defeating the No. 1 seed, James Blake and his doubles partner Tim Smyczek went out in a tiebreak blaze versus Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 5-7, 6-3, 10-8. What is comforting for Blake fans though is that the loss was more due to Smyczek’s inexperienced hands than Blake’s errors. This ultimately opens up Blake to do well in the singles draw, but he’ll need to get past No. 2 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov tomorrow.
Ace: South African player Kevin Anderson, who was forced to skip the Olympics due to ITF ineligibility, redeemed his week by reaching the quarterfinals when he defeated French qualifier Florent Serra en route bombing 12 aces and winning 85% of first serves.
Deuce: Although not a clear out winner or ace, the five newly-surfaced practice courts on the southeast corner of the grounds are reminiscent of the ones at the U.S. Open, and may perhaps be even better for fans. There are no immense crowds jamming up against the barrier fence, and there is a walkway along the entire baseline of the courts as well. The players, however, stand in conflict with each other. While most of the female players have expressed their relief to have availability of courts for practice, some of the men have stated that there is not enough availability now that the women’s event has been added. As next year’s ATP level tournament is sure to boast more top players with the Olympics no longer a factor, the difference in opinions between the two tours is sure to escalate.

Canadian Eugenie Bouchard on her Wimbledon win, and talking twins with Roger Federer

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Eugenie Bouchard in action at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the Citi Open tennis tournament boasting a wide open field in the women’s draw this week, it wouldn’t surprise many if rising Canadian player Eugenie Bouchard, the youngest and lowest-ranked in the draw, grabbed at the opportunity to do well here. (Photo gallery at bottom.)
At just 18-years-old, Bouchard has already hit a ranking of No. 300 – and that’s not even playing the WTA Tour full-time. She splits her time between the junior circuit, the ITF and occasional WTA Tour events, but is looking to fully transition into the pros soon.
On this quest, Bouchard is one of three wildcards in the main draw of the Citi Open, and finds herself in the second round after routing world No. 123 Karin Knapp, 6-2, 7-6(4). After her win, she conducted a candid interview with a small group of reporters, indulging us on her trip to the White House, her joy at bonding with Roger Federer over his twins during the Wimbledon ball last month, and her thoughts on her on-court progress.
Having played the inaugural Citi Open tournament last year in College Park, MD, Bouchard is no stranger to this city. She took advantage of the tournament site change and enjoyed the city upon her arrival.
“Last year, we weren’t downtown like we are now, and think it’s really cool to be here,” gushed Bouchard. “Last night we went to the White House and took pictures in front of it.” She went on to admit that she loves American politics and was hoping for a President Obama sighting when a traffic blockade went up on her way to the hotel Saturday. Unfortunately, the President was overseas, but there’s always next year.
On July 7, 2012, Bouchard made history by becoming the first Canadian Grand Slam winner when she won the girls’ singles title at Junior Wimbledon, and she admitted that it was a “great feeling.”
“I worked really hard. I won the warm-up tournament in Roehampton, and I was feeling really good on the grass. To win my first Grand Slam title, even though it was juniors, and also to make history, was really cool to [do] at the same time. It gave me a lot of confidence being one of the best juniors in the world, and now, trying to transition that into the pros. I did well after that as I won the $25,000 in Granby, Canada.”
When asked about how important it was for her to stick with the junior circuit as an 18-year-old, Bouchard spoke honestly about the pressures.
“It’s the question people always ask me. I think it’s really good, because it’s a different kind of pressure. In the pros, you’re the underdog all the time. In the juniors – being the oldest one and one of the top ones – everyone is out to get you from the first round. It’s tough and it’s harder than people think…. I think it’s good for me to deal with that and play with that pressure, and I think it will help me for me career as well because hopefully, I want to be in that position in the pros. …There’s nothing wrong with saying you won Wimbledon Juniors even if you’re 18.”
Bouchard had already tasted Wimbledon gold last year when she won the girls’ doubles title, and was able to defend it this year, but the ensuing Wimbledon Ball for all the winners brought it own surprise. When asked if she attended, she replied excitedly.
“Of course, that’s the best part of Wimbledon! I did it the year before because I won the doubles, but this year, it was unbelievable. I talked to Roger [Federer] — actually talked to him for 5 minutes!”
Eugenie Boucher (L) with Roger Federer and Filip Peliwo (R) at the Wimbledon 2012 Ball

When asked what the two conversed about, Bouchard was quick to paint the picture. Bouchard, along with the boys’ singles winner and fellow Canadian Filip Peliwo, were greeted by a friendly Federer who was more than willing to take a photo with them, congratulate them and talk about their future endeavors.
“Filip [Peliwo], who won the boy’s singles title, and I got a picture with Roger. He came up and we expected him to take a picture and leave. But we took the picture, and he [starting talking to us]. ‘Congrats, you guys. What’s next? What’s your pro ranking?’ He was asking about what we’re doing. And I told him I’m playing all these tournaments, and I’m No. 300. And he’s said, ‘When I won Junior Wimbledon, I was No. 300 as well.’ And I was like, ‘That’s a sign – it’s meant to be!’’
Not one to cut the story short, Bouchard went on to say how excited she was talking to him about his twin girls, as she is a twin herself.
“And then we talked about his twins because I’m a twin. I told him ‘I love your twins, they’re so cute. They’re always dressed the same!’ And he said, ‘If you don’t dress them the same, they’re going to fight!’ … We totally bonded over twins. It was amazing. He was the nicest guy. Serena left right after the ceremony on the stage, but Roger stuck around and took pictures with everyone.”
With so man great opportunities to meet your idols, it’s easy to forget how much hard work goes into each athlete’s training. Tracing back to Bouchard’s roots in Montreal, Canada, she spoke about how Tennis Canada has assisted in her tennis progress and development since she began training at their National Center in 2008.
“Before [2008], I was in Florida, then I went to train at the National Center in Montreal when I was 15. I think the biggest thing that they are able to provide is so much funding, so we can travel all around the world and play all these top tournaments. That really gives us the chance to win them – to go to Wimbledon and win the title. Obviously, because tennis is an international sport, you really need to get out of Canada, and they helped the most with that.”
In a few short weeks, Bouchard will be making her way to the Rogers Cup in Montreal, a tournament she considers as a homecoming. She grew up playing 10&under tennis there, will have plenty of family and friends present for support, and with a team that strong, she will be looking to make another deep dent in her rankings.
Only time will tell, but with Bouchard’s strong baseline game, efficient serve, and optimistic demeanor, she is sure to go far in her young flourishing tennis career.
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