"First real win!! Lfg!!" - Eugenie Bouchard celebrates two 'first wins' on the same day as she gets pickleball career on track

Eugenie Bouchard recently celebrated her first two wins in pickleball since switching her tennis racquet for a paddle.

Bouchard joined the pickleball tour in 2024 after being announced as 'one of the biggest signings of the year' in September 2023.

She played her first tournament at the PPA Masters Event in Palm Springs, California. Her start to her pickleball career was less than ideal as she lost her first singles, doubles and mixed doubles matches.

The Canadian notched her first win since beginning her pickleball debut in January. Her win was awarded as a result of a walkover by her opponent. Incidentally, her first win was against a fellow tennis player Dominique Schaefer. Schaefer has represented Peru in the Fed Cup and has been playing pickleball full-time since 2023.

"My first pickleball win!!! (by walkover)," Bouchard wrote.

Source- Eugenie Bouchard's Instagram handle

The Canadian finally registered her first 'real' win in mixed doubles as she partnered with Eric Roddy and defeated Michelle Esquivel and Steve Deakin. Deakin too is a former tennis player and has won 11 Canadian National Titles.

Bouchard took to Instagram to talk about this win as well, stating:

"First real W!!!!!!!! LFG!!!"

Source- Eugenie Bouchard's Instagram handle

Bouchard was last seen playing professional tennis in November 2023 at the Billie Jean King Cup.

The 2014 Wimbledon finalist paired up with Gabriela Dabrowski and played two matches in the group stage of the finals and won them both to help Canada advance to the knockout stages. However, she did not feature any further in the tournament as Canada won it by beating Italy 2-0 in the final.

Eugenie Bouchard's first experience of pickleball

Eugenie Bouchard at the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Eugenie Bouchard told PPA writer Andrew Gilman in January 2024 after her debut that she was still understanding the settings of the game as she kept forgetting "which side of the court to line up on". The Canadian added that she did not expect to win in her first match and wanted to have fun.

"zero expectations. I just want to have fun,” Bouchard said.

However, she admitted that she was nervous and stressed before making her debut.

"Tennis I’ve done since I was 5 years old. “This was so different and new. It was the fear of the unknown. I had months of practice, but I didn’t know what to expect. It was nerve-wracking. I wasn’t moving my feet, I wasn’t bending. I wasn’t hitting. I think that’s due to nerves,” she said.

As of now, Eugenie Bouchard is 302nd in the WTA singles rankings.