"Biggest defender" - Eugenie Bouchard defends idol Anna Kournikova from haters, sees career parallels

Eugenie Bouchard has come out in support of her idol, Anna Kournikova, from the unjust criticism leveled at her. Bouchard retired from tennis earlier this year, stepping on to the court one last time in front of her home fans at the Canadian Open.

However, Bouchard isn't done with competitive sports just yet. She has turned to pickleball to fill the void left by tennis. She recently appeared on the Pickleballers podcast to talk about her transition from tennis to pickleball.

The conversation soon veered towards Kournikova, who Bouchard stated was her first idol. She imitated her as a kid, and always felt that the hate she received was unwarranted, especially in light of the Russian's achievements.

"I say this to people and I say, I wanted to be just like her. I thought she was so cool and good and pretty. And I wanted to use the exact...My parents bought me Yonex jackets because that's what she used. And people give her so much hate. I'm like, you get to eight in the world in your field and then come back and talk to me. She got to eight in the world in singles, semis of Wimbledon, multiple slams in doubles with Martina Hingis," Bouchard said.

Kournikova's results were overshadowed by her popularity. Bouchard further added that she saw similarities between her own career and Kournikova's. While she met her once during her junior days, she would love to have a chat with her as an adult.

"And I'm like, but because she had this whole other side to her and you know, so marketable and famous, like the most Googled person or Yahoo, Googled person whenever that came out, you know, internet. People focus on that and give her so much hate. And I'm literally her biggest defender. And you know, I met her once very quickly at like Junior Wimbledon years ago. But I actually really would like love to meet her and talk to her about her experiences because I feel like I went through some similar things as well[…]” Bouchard continued.

Bouchard has thrived as a pickleball player, taking to the sport like duck to water. Her prior experience as a tennis pro has undoubtedly helped her out in tasting quick success in pickleball.

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Eugenie Bouchard has already cracked the top 10 of the Pickleball rankings

Eugenie Bouchard at the Canadian Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Eugenie Bouchard enjoyed considerable success during her time as a tennis player. She peaked at No. 5 in the rankings, finished as the runner-up at Wimbledon 2014, and made the semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open.

Bouchard also won one title each in singles and doubles. After a pretty solid career as a tennis pro, she's now making waves on the pickleball tour. Despite being on the tour for a short time, she has already peaked at No. 9 in the singles rankings.

Bouchard is yet to win a title on the pickleball tour, though considering her current level, it won't be long before she snags one. The new season is just a few days away, and the Canadian will be eager to make a strong start to the year.

Edited by Rohit