"I felt like the old Eugenie Bouchard" - Canadian reveals one thing that could make her reconsider retirement after Montreal 1R win

Eugenie Bouchard hinted at postponing her retirement after beginning her campaign at the National Bank Open in Montreal with a victory. Ahead of the WTA 1000 event, the Canadian had stated that her Montreal campaign would mark her farewell competitive tennis outing.

On Monday, July 28, the former WTA No. 5 and 2014 Wimbledon runner-up locked horns with Emiliana Arango from Colombia in front of a packed Centre Court at Montreal's IGA Stadium. The 31-year-old was made to work hard to pull off a three-set win over Arango (6-4, 2-6, 6-2).

In the immediate aftermath of the result, Eugenie Bouchard revealed she'd told her family that she would prolong her tennis career if she had a title-winning run at her hometown WTA 1000 hardcourt event.

"I told my family that if I won, I would come out of retirement. I felt like the old Genie out there," Bouchard said during her post-match, on-court interview.

Earlier this month, the Canadian shared a brief yet profound post on Instagram, as she laid bare her plan of retiring after the conclusion of her National Bank Open campaign. The post featured four pictures of Bouchard, with the first one from her childhood. She captioned the post:

"You’ll know when it’s time. For me, it’s now. Ending where it all started: Montreal ❤️"

In the buildup to her planned Montreal farewell, Bouchard told reporters at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open about how she wants her retirement to be a positive affair.

"I want to make it like a celebration, not a funeral" - Eugenie Bouchard on retiring from tennis at National Bank Open 2025 in Montreal

Eugenie Bouchard (Source: Getty)

Eugenie Bouchard prepared for her 2025 National Bank Open campaign by playing doubles at the recently-concluded Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington. At a press conference, the Canadian looked forward to her retirement in her hometown WTA 1000 tournament, saying:

"I want to soak up every moment of love and tennis and the hard stuff on the court, the amazing stuff off the court. I want to make it like a celebration, not a funeral, and see everybody."

Bouchard's doubles outing in Washington, though, ended early, as she and partner Clerve Ngounoue were comprehensively beaten 6-3, 6-1 by the all-American duo of Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste. At the 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal, Eugenie Bouchard's next challenge is a second-round clash against the resurgent Belinda Bencic.

Edited by Sudipto Pati