Eugenie Bouchard will play on the pickleball courts starting in 2024.
This was announced by the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) on Thursday. The news quickly made the rounds on the sports web, raising a big question: does this mean the end of the Quebecer’s professional tennis career?
The answer to this question is still unknown. Bouchard was content to relay the publication of the PPA on its social networks without reacting or giving more details.
If this news comes a bit out of nowhere, it is not that surprising, considering the turn Bouchard’s tennis career has taken over the last decade.
The 29-year-old had some big moments on the world circuit in 2014, making the final of the Wimbledon tournament. It was also that year that she won her only singles title and finished the season ranked 7th in the world. But since then, she has been unable to recover, she who has had to deal with many injuries. Over the past few years, it has only dropped in the rankings.
The Montrealer is currently ranked 215th on the WTA circuit. Her last match on a tennis court dates back to August 5, at the National Bank Open, when she was eliminated by American Danielle Collins in qualifying. After her elimination, she made appearances as a tournament commentator for the Sportsnet network.
Bouchard is not the first professional tennis player to take the leap to pickleball. American Jack Sock, once the world’s 8th-ranked men’s racket, notably did the same at the end of August.
It must be said that pickleball is a sport on the rise. In 2023, 36.5 million people practice it, an increase of 158.3% from three years.
The sport, which is obviously reminiscent of tennis, is played both indoors and outdoors, in singles or doubles. Players hit a hollow, perforated plastic ball over a 3-foot-high net using a full-face racket.
The PPA circuit has 25 tournaments in 14 U.S. states. There is also an event in Toronto. As in tennis, each tournament is identified by a number (2000, 1500 or 1000) representing the total points awarded to the winners.
According to what the World Association indicates on its website, players are paid from the moment they reach at least the round of 16 of a tournament. The amount for the singles winner in both women’s and men’s singles is $12,375 for a 2000 PPA tournament, $11,191 for a 1500 PPA and $10,007 for a 1000 PPA.
At the end of each season, the eight players and teams with the most points collected over the 52 weeks of the season qualify to play in an ultimate tournament and vie for the title of world number one.
