Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard to make long-awaited tennis comeback at Odlum Brown VanOpen in Vancouver

After almost a year and a half on the sidelines, Eugenie Bouchard will return to competitive tennis next week at the Odlum Brown VanOpen, a WTA 125K event in Vancouver. Having been on the sidelines since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2021, she will return to competitive action for the first time in 17 months.

Bouchard got a wildcard entry to take part in the tournament in front of her home fans. The 28-year-old last played in March 2021 at the Monterrey Open, where she injured her shoulder in a first-round match against Zhu Lin.

She has been teasing a comeback throughout the year but constant setbacks have halted her return. The former World No.5 was expected to compete at Wimbledon last month. However, the ATP and WTA's decision to strip the Major of its ranking points halted her comeback.

She took to social media to announce her withdrawal from the grass Slam.

"I have decided to withdraw from Wimbledon due to the WTA's decision to not award ranking points at this year's Championships. I get a limited number of protected ranking (PR) entries. As much as I love Wimbledon and skipping it makes me sad, using a PR entry at a tournament with no ranking points, doesn't make sense," she tweeted.

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"I have tried every form of conservative treatment and rehab known to man, to no avail" - Eugenie Bouchard on her decision to undergo surgery

Eugenie Bouchard in action at the 2020 French Open.

Multiple injuries have interrupted Eugenie Bouchard's career since her breakthrough in 2014. Her latest setback was a shoulder injury last year. Before the injury, she looked to have rediscovered some of her old form, making two WTA finals in the space of six months.

Bouchard took to her Instagram in 2021 to disclose that she had surgery on her niggling shoulder and would be out of action for an extended period. The Canadian revealed that she had tried every possible solution to fix her injury problems, but to no avail.

"I have tried every form of conservative treatment and rehab known to man, to no avail," Bouchard said. "So last week, I pulled the trigger and had arthroscopic surgery. Doc says everything went great. I have a tough road of rehab ahead of me, but my spirits are high and I will work hard to get back to the job that I love."

She became the first Canadian woman to make the singles final at a Grand Slam when she reached the summit clash at 2014 Wimbledon, where she lost to Petra Kvitova. That year, she also reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open.