"It should be more of a celebration" - Eugenie Bouchard on the Queen's life, adapting to Chennai weather, watching Serena Williams at the US Open & more

Eugenie Bouchard, who is currently contesting the WTA 250 event in Chennai, opened up about adapting to Chennai weather. She also touched upon watching Serena Williams’ final match at the US Open and expressed her sentiments regarding Queen Elizabeth II’s passing.

Bouchard squeezed in a short chat session with Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj before the commencement of the tournament in Chennai. She revealed that it was her first time visiting India and said that visiting new places was exciting for her as it did not happen often.

“It’s rare for someone like me at the stage of my career to go to a country I’ve never been to before, so I get excited like a kid going to a new place because usually we play for the same tournaments in the same cities. So, to go somewhere new is like super exciting,” she said.

The Canadian was surprised by Chennai’s weather and coastal landscape.

“Wait you’re telling me this is not as hot as it gets? It’s like 90 F every day,” she added, “I like how we’re right on the water. I didn’t expect that at all.”

Speaking about Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, Eugenie Bouchard said that her demise was unfortunate but her long reign should be fondly remembered.

“So the queen, right? Kind of our Queen too. So sad (her death). But I mean, it should be more of a celebration,” she opined.

When asked about watching Serena Williams' last tournament at the US Open, the 28-year-old lauded Ajla Tomljanovic for handling her victory over the 40-year-old with utmost grace.

“How she (Tomljanovic) handled the whole Serena situation I thought it was really so gracious and humble and like I think a lot of people became fans of her because of that. (It was) unbelievable. Like, I don’t know if I’ve seen a sporting event like that before,” she praised.

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“I just need tournaments to start feeling better and more normal on court” – Eugenie Bouchard discusses making a comeback after surgery

Eugenie Bouchard has reached the quarterfinals of the Chennai Open

Eugenie Bouchard discussed making a comeback after undergoing an arthroscopic shoulder surgery and also spoke about her other pursuits off the courts.

Bouchard shed light on her time working with the Tennis Channel in 2021 while recuperating from the shoulder procedure that saw her sidelined for a year and a half.

“I do love it. It’s more work that I expected but it’s also more fun than I expected. You just have to know a lot about what you’re talking about. So I’m trying to watch all the matches or at least highlights and like, read up on the matches,” she revealed.

The Canadian has now made a comeback on the court, with the Chennai Open being only her third tournament since return. She admitted that she needed more matches under her belt to feel more comfortable on the court.

“This would be my third tournament back from being off for like a year and a half so I still feel like, rusty. I just need tournaments to start feeling better and more normal on court,” she disclosed.

Eugenie Bouchard reached the quarterfinals of the Chennai Open with straight-set victories over Joanne Zuger and most recently over home-hope Karman Kaur Thandi. She will now compete against either Nadia Podoroska or Tatjana Maria for a spot in the semifinals.