Eugenie Bouchard makes her return to the tennis court for training at Columbia University

Eugenie Bouchard, the former Wimbledon finalist and WTA Ranked No. 5 player, has posted pictures of herself training hard on the tennis court. Bouchard features in the upcoming Pickleball Slam 3, but the images of her training at the Columbia Tennis Center alongside compatriot Carol Zhao suggest the 30-year-old is not quite done with tennis.

The 30-year-old Canadian will partner with Andy Roddick and compete against event staples Andre Agassi and his wife Steffi Graff in the $1 million "The Duel in the Desert" tournament on February 15. It'll take place at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Bouchard turned professional with the PPA tour in 2024 while still competing on the WTA tour, but is reportedly rapidly improving her pickleball game. As a professional tennis player, she has slipped to No. 1007 in the world, so it appeared that she might have different priorities now that pickleball is growing in popularity. She took to Instagram to post an image of the Columbia Tennis Center courts, and also one of her alongside Chinese-Canadian player Carol Zhao, her long-term friend and fellow WTA pro:

Screengrab of Eugenie Bouchard's Instagram story (@geniebouchard)

Screengrab of Eugenie Bouchard's Instagram story (@geniebouchard)

Bouchard has had a highly successful tennis career, reaching two Grand Slam semifinals, and the 2014 Wimbledon final where she lost 6-3, 6-0 to Petra Kvitova. She won her only tour title at the 2014 Numberger Versicherungscup by beating Karolina Pliskova in the final, becoming the first Canadian winner on tour since Aleksandra Wozniak in 2008.

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Eugenie Bouchard will partner Andy Roddick at the 2025 Slam 3

Andre Agassi and World's Top Pros Play Pickleball at Life Time PENN 1 - Source: Getty

Despite Eugenie Bouchard's tennis practice, pickleball is her next major focus. "The Duel in the Desert" is the third iteration of the pickleball slam, an event that is the brainchild of Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. The inaugural event in 2023 featured John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova shaping up against Agassi and Graf. The 2024 event pitted McEnroe and Michael Chang against Andy Roddick and Agassi.

Now Roddick returns as Bouchard's partner, and at the event launch sounded less than positive about his prospects:

"I worry the most about myself on the court. Like, I've literally played with a pro. We have to win; otherwise it's on me. It's very squarely on my shoulders. Genie, I hope I live up to the very tiny expectations you have for my pickleball ability."

It remains to be seen if Bouchard can resurrect her tennis career at any meaningful level. She dropped out of the top 100 back in 2018 and has been sinking in the ratings since. She won her last WTA tour title in 2020 and injuries have curtailed her progress since.