Eugenie Bouchard’s return to the tour from concussion has been solid, but far from spectacular.
The former world No.5 reached her first final since 2014 at the Hobart Open last month before losing to Alize Cornet. Since then, the 22-year-old lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Agnieszka Radwanska and most recently in the third round of the Dubai Tennis Championships to China’s Saisai Zheng.
Bouchard is currently ranked 52nd in the world as she continues her quest to get back to the top of the her game. Eager to improve on her roller coaster 2015, the Canadian told the Malaysian media that her dream of becoming a Grand Slam champion is what motivates her.
“I am just grateful to be back on Tour and I know I can do so much better than last year,” She told The Star.
“What keeps me motivated is my dream to win a Grand Slam. As long as I have that, I’m always motivated”.
She came close to her dream at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships. Producing back-to-back wins over Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep, she reached her maiden major final. Bouchard was unable to complete her dream run after suffering a 6-3, 6-0, loss to Petra Kvitova. 2014 was a breakthrough year for the Canadian, who also reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and French Open.
She was unable to capitalize on her milestone 2014 after enduring a disappointing 2015. Prior to ending her season early due to concussion, Bouchard failed to reach the final at any tournament. Starting the year at 6th, she fell out of the top-20 by July that year after a series of early tournament exits.
In Dubai Bouchard recently addressed her recent head injury which she sustained during last year’s US Open. After a match in New York, she slipped over in the players locker room and smashed the back of her head on the floor, giving her a concussion. The incident forced her to end 2015 early.
“I take it day by day and I’m careful with everything I do. I’m still analysing and still self-assessing how I feel. But I was able to go to Australia and play some good matches over there. So I’m confident of taking a step forward. I hope to continue to do so.” She said following her win over Denisa Allertova in Dubai.
Putting her 2015 woes behind her, Bouchard’s next competition will be this week’s Malaysia Open, where she will be the sixth seed. Speaking about the upcoming tournament, the 22-year-old admitted that it is taking her a while to get use to the humidity.
“But it is very humid here in Kuala Lumpur and it takes a while to get adapted. I guess it’s good that I’ve been here for a few days and was able to get some practice.” The world No.52 said.
Bouchard will play Hong Kong’s Ling Zhang in her opening match in Kuala Lumpur.
