Former world No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard recently sat down with Caroline Garcia on her podcast Tennis Insider Club and opened up about various aspects of her career—from her early passion for tennis and the challenges of balancing school and sports, to the pressure of reaching the Wimbledon final in 2014. The Canadian athlete also shared her thoughts on Novak Djokovic, discussed her shoulder injury and touched on her transition into pickleball, giving fans a rare look into her life.
Towards the end of the conversation, Bouchard was asked who she would like to see featured next on the podcast, and without hesitation, she mentioned Novak Djokovic. Although she wasn’t always a Djokovic supporter—admitting to being firmly in “Team Federer”—Bouchard has come to admire the Serbian star’s incredible accomplishments, resilience, and dedication to the sport.
What he’s done is just so insane. Him standing up for what he believes in is so important and the way he can still win, the way he does, and the way he takes care of his body. He’s just like not normal. He’s like a freak, obviously.
The “brutal” Wimbledon final
One of the most revealing moments in the interview came when Bouchard revisited her career-defining 2014 Wimbledon final. With raw honesty, she recounted how the immense pressure of playing in her first Grand Slam final weighed on her. The excitement and grandeur of the occasion were overwhelming, and nerves got the best of her as she prepared to face Petra Kvitova.
Although Bouchard believes she would have lost regardless of her mental state due to Kvitova’s form, she revealed that the match left such a deep emotional scar that she has never been able to watch it again.
So brutal. I still to this day have not rewatched the finals, because I just can’t. It’s too painful for me.
Pickleball and managing “4 jobs”
In the interview, Bouchard revealed that she got into pickleball after her agent suggested she give it a try. Now balancing both pickleball and tennis professionally, she explained that her strategy is to group her tournaments by sport—playing a series of pickleball events before switching back to tennis.
“It’s hard to transition between the two,” the 30-year-old Bouchard admitted, acknowledging the challenge of juggling both sports. She then added:
We’ll see how long this lasts. I’m adding a lot on my plate. I’m doing some cool off-court stuff too and sometimes doing the commentary. And all this other stuff. Oh my God, I feel like I have four jobs.
