Former World No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard had her breakthrough when she became the first Canadian player to reach a major singles final at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, in which she lost to Petra Kvitova. As a player with plenty of experience on tour, she once revealed who was the greatest player of all time between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
After Djokovic clinched his 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2023 French Open, beating Casper Ruud in the final, Bouchard posted on X (formerly Twitter): “I’m the biggest Roger fan but we all have to admit Novak is the undisputed goat. Insanely impressive.”
The Canadian star, who helped her country win the Fed Cup for the first time in 2023, joins legends such as Rohan Bopanna, Bjorn Borg, Sue Barker, Marion Bartoli, Tommy Haas and many more who have chosen Novak Djokovic as the ultimate tennis GOAT.
The Serbian star was able to come out behind Federer and Rafael Nadal, breaking their hegemony and become one of the most winning players in tennis history. He is not only the player with the most Grand Slams in the Open Era (24), he also has won more Masters 1000 titles than anyone (40) and has more weeks as No. 1 (428).
Meanwhile, players who argue that Federer or Nadal are the GOATs, often alluded to their impact in the sport, especially by being one of the most beloved sports figures of the past 20 years, helping reach new audiences, as well as their off-court behavior.
Bouchard’s incursion on pickleball and his return to tennis
Bouchard is one of the few former and current tennis players who have joined the pickleball fever. She even reached the World No. 17 in the rankings, but she says that she is still not retired from tennis. “I wouldn’t say burned out,” Bouchard told the AP about why she joined the new sport. “I was just excited about a new opportunity.”
In her tennis career, Bouchard was one of the highest-earning players, with a $6.9 million in prize money over her career. Apart from her Wimbledon final, she is also a semifinalist at the 2014 Australian Open and French Open.
However, she had to undergo shoulder surgery and suffered a concussion at the 2015 US Open, even settling an agreement with the United States Tennis Association in a liability lawsuit.