Genie Bouchard aims to return focus at French Open
PARIS – Following a season of Grand Slam success, stuffed animals showered on her from fans and a nod of "yep, she's got next," 2015 hasn't gone the way of Genie Bouchard. Not at all.
The 21-year-old Canadian is going through what is commonly referred to as a sophomore slump, despite still being ranked No. 6 in the world.
"What happened to her?" Seven-time French Open champion Chris Evert wondered aloud last week on a conference call with reporters. "She played fearless tennis last year. We're not seeing that any more. We're seeing nervous tennis."
Bouchard, a semifinalist in Melbourne and here in Paris in 2014, cemented her place as tennis' next big thing when she finished Wimbledon as the runner-up to Petra Kvitova, then ended the year inside the top 10.
But London was the beginning of the downfall, it now appears: She went 9-10 in the second half of the year, and this season has gone 7-9 overall, losing seven out of her last eight matches.
The tall, lithe blonde from Quebec isn't hitting the panic button – yet.
"I was hearing from outside people that I should be freaking out and worried, but really I wasn't – I'm not," Bouchard told Paste BN Sports last week in Rome. "That's what I'm saying: Everyone is quick to jump on me when I'm doing well, but then also when I do badly. I just keep my eyes lowered and my mind steady. I take it all with a grain of salt. I don't need to read about my ups and downs in the press."
It's been hard to pinpoint what, exactly, has gone awry in Bouchard's game. She's a steady baseliner who hits hard and goes for her shots. But balls that were falling in a year ago are going wide or long now, a confidence that brought her through close matches seemingly having melted away.
"It's hard to have your breakthrough, but it's even harder to maintain that level," said Mary Joe Fernandez in a conference call. "Not everybody handles the pressure the same way. She's a great competitor. She fights. But right now she has no confidence. She's in a slump."
In January Bouchard shook up her coaching arrangement, bringing on Sam Sumyk, Victoria Azarenka's coach, after having worked with Nick Saviano for eight years.
"(Nick) brought out the best in her. She needed that extra push," said Evert. "And he gave it to her."
Ana Ivanovic, champion here in 2008 and a former world No. 1, said that finding a rhythm with a new coach can be hard, especially after working with someone for so long.
"Many people do not understand how hard it is to find the right match and the right person," Ivanovic said in Paris on Sunday. "Not necessarily one coach is good for another player. It's always hard because you have to sort of start from the beginning. So it's a lot of getting used to."
It was a getting-used-to process that Bouchard said took her by surprise.
"I didn't really expect there to be an adjustment period (with Sumyk) because I had never changed coaches before," Bouchard said. "It was quite a big change because in tennis you are spending hours a day on the court with your coach, so it's really personal. To have a change like that was quite a shock for me, even if I didn't realize it at the beginning."
Injuries, have lingered, too. A bad hip nagged her last summer and earlier this year she suffered problems with her arm. Pair that with a growing list of off-court commitments (magazine photo shoots; Los Angeles Lakers games) and the tennis can suffer.
"The biggest challenge for these young athletes is to balance celebrity with accomplishment," added Patrick McEnroe on conference call. "You('ve) got to be careful it doesn't get out of control too early. Especially in tennis.
"When you talk about trying to transcend the sport as a brand, you better put up a lot of majors before you really start talking about that. I'm not blaming Genie. I would blame more the people around her. They have to keep this in check so she can focus on what she's great at, which is trying to become a really, really great tennis player."
Bouchard said the reins have been pulled in a bit from a busy period of off-court commitments, her tennis coming back into focus over the last few weeks.
"In general, since Wimbledon, I've had this sense that everyone wants a piece of me and my time," Bouchard said. "People want things because of your success, but they haven't been there since the beginning. I've definitely done more since Wimbledon, but I think that's normal. We've done a few photo shoots this year, but lately I've just wanted to get back to normal and feeling good about my tennis."
On Tuesday, Bouchard will step back on the courts here a year after making a run to the semifinal, a three-set tussle in which she fell to Maria Sharpova, to whom she's often compared. Her first opponent is Kristina Mladenovic.
Bouchard believes that a turn in form is just around the proverbial corner – or net post. But whether that is in Paris or Wimbledon, that's what tennis fans will find out in the coming weeks.
"In practice it's been going very well, and I'm just really waiting for the results to come on the court," Bouchard said. "All those losses (this year) made me feel a little all over the place, but in general, I have a self belief. I'm not worried or feeling pressure otherwise. I know that my tennis is coming. I'm trying to take little baby steps and I'm on the right path."