Eugenie Bouchard left amused by memes about her trade to Phoenix Flames from New Jersey 5s in Major League Pickleball

Eugenie Bouchard has reacted to the news that she has been traded to the Phoenix Flames in the latest pro pickleball draft. Bouchard, the 2014 Wimbledon tennis finalist, became a PPA (Professional Pickleball Association) tour player in 2023.

The 31-year-old's team, the New Jersey 5s, recently traded her to the Phoenix Flames, with Meghan Dizon going the other way. The trade brings Bouchard together with former tennis pro and three-time Major doubles champion Jack Sock at the Flames.

A meme shared on Instagram likened the trade to a Macbook being exchanged for spaghetti. Responding to the meme, Bouchard stated:

"brutal"

Eugenie Bouchard Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/stories/geniebouchard/3581856500945414148/?hl=en)

The same Instagram page took a dig at the trade and this time, Bouchard reacted by saying:

"Even more brutal"

Eugenie Bouchard Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/stories/geniebouchard/3581856727588751844/?hl=en)

Bouchard then took to the comments section to confirm that she was available for the Major League Pickleball season, despite suggestions that she was taking the summer off:

"Who says hot girl summer was ever canceled?"

Eugenie Bouchard Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/geniebouchard/?hl=en)

Bouchard's last tennis tournament was the 2024 Canadian Open qualifiers, where she lost to Japan's Moyuka Uchijima. The Canadian remains a professional tennis player, but her focus is moving inexorably towards pickleball. Not long back, Bouchard partnered Andy Roddick against tennis legends Andre Agassi and his wife Steffi Graf in the third edition of the Pickleball Slam, which the latter won.

Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard on juggling tennis and pickleball

Shaq's Fun House - Source: Getty

Bouchard's tennis career has seen her reach two Grand Slam semifinals and the 2014 Wimbledon final, where she lost 6-3, 6-0 to Petra Kvitova. She beat Karolina Pliskova in the final of her only tour win, the 2014 Numberger Versicherungscup, making her the first Canadian winner on tour since Aleksandra Wozniak in 2008.

In January, Bouchard told the Tennis Insider Club podcast that she still wanted to play professional tennis, but was finding it tough to juggle her commitments.

"I just didn't want to let go of tennis completely for sure, and so I've played a few tournaments this year. It's obviously tough - if I'm not playing full-time on the tour, it's hard to have goals and expectations," Bouchard said.

The Canadian's prolonged absence from tour has seen her drop down below the top 1000 in the WTA rankings.