Eugenie Bouchard and Michelle Wie have several things in common. They met when they were very young and forged very strong friendships before making their mark in their respective sports, tennis and golf.
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But after a successful march to the top, they saw their journey plagued by injuries.
Photo archives, AFP
Golfer Michelle Wie (photo) invited Eugenie Bouchard to her podcast.
Now retired from competition and a mother, Wie has launched a new podcast, Golf, Mostly (Mainly golf), and she chose Bouchard as her first guest.
In this slightly twisted – and unfiltered – conversation of almost an hour, they share their experiences as athletes, without however making any major revelations, either professionally or personally.
In a very good mood, Bouchard nevertheless pointed out that, since she became single, the number of her subscribers on her Instagram account has made a prodigious leap.
“I imagine that someone thinks they have a chance to date me one day,” said the one who has not been in a relationship since the beginning of the summer.
“For me, the ideal man is a guy in great shape, respectful, sure of himself, who has a good sense of humor and a very strong personality,” she says.
More discreet
Although she is very active on social networks, she talks very little about her dating.
“I did at one point, a year after having a serious relationship, but we broke up a month after I talked about him. It’s a subject I tend to avoid…”
Besides, she doesn’t want a spouse involved in her sport.
“That would be too much…tennis for me.” Most of my close friends are not from tennis. »
Yes to an analyst role
“Genie” was given an analyst role on the American specialty network Tennis Channel for a few weeks and she admits having enjoyed doing it during her long rehabilitation following shoulder surgery.
“Describing live games allowed me to relive the level of adrenaline that I missed during my long absence. I did not hate the experience. But I did not think that this task required so much research work. You have to be ready when the show starts.
“I don’t hide the fact that once my career is over, it’s an avenue that interests me. But I didn’t get there. »
Painless
Bouchard completed a tour of more than a month in September which took her to Asia, with stopovers in India and South Korea in particular.
“I have regained my health, I no longer have any pain, while I want to play as many tournaments as possible. My goal is to come back stronger in 2023.”
♦ After her memorable run in England in the summer of 2014, when she became the first Canadian to reach the final of a Grand Slam tournament and ranked fifth in the WTA rankings, Eugenie Bouchard has never been the same. afterwards. At 28, she now occupies 323e global level.
What she said :
“My two favorite foods are pizza and ice cream. »
“What I missed the most when I was younger were family celebrations. I often had to leave for Australia on Christmas Eve. »
“One of the great experiences of my life was my participation in the Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, in 2016. Meeting athletes like Michael Phelps, attending swimming and gymnastics competitions or simply exchanging pins will forever be etched in my life. »
“I realized how my status changed after my appearance in the final at Wimbledon. When I came back to Montreal, everyone recognized me and asked for my autographs. A few times I had to call in a bodyguard. »