Eugenie Bouchard recently reflected on her devastating loss to Petra Kvitova in the 2014 Wimbledon Championships final. The Canadian admitted that she has yet to bring herself to rewatch the match.
After making impressive runs to the semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open in 2014, Bouchard entered the grasscourt Major in impeccable form. The Canadian defeated the likes of Andrea Petkovic, Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep to reach her maiden Grand Slam final, where she took on Petra Kvitova. Kvitova dominated the title clash, claiming a 6-3, 6-0 win in just 55 minutes to clinch her second Wimbledon title.
During a recent appearance on the Tennis Insider Club podcast, Eugenie Bouchard recalled the "brutal" loss, revealing that she still hasn't rewatched the final because she found it "too painful" to relive.
"So brutal. I still to this day have not rewatched the final because I just can’t, it’s too painful for me. I got killed, which maybe is a blessing in disguise because you know when you come so close to winning a match and lose it, you’re replaying it over and over in your head what you could have done better on every point," Eugenie Bouchard said.
The 30-year-old also disclosed that the "weight" of the moment overwhelmed her and impacted her confidence heading into the final. Although the former World No. 5 highlighted that she could've handled her stress and rush between points better, she confessed that even making those improvements wouldn't have changed the outcome.
While Bouchard acknowledged that there were things she could've done differently, she joked that it would take her another decade to rewatch the match and analyze what went wrong.
"Everything just felt like it had more weight on it. So I got onto the court and I just didn’t feel as good as I did in the other matches. I don’t think there was something I could’ve done better like to win. I could’ve done things better but not something that moved the needle enough to win the match," she said.
"I don’t have regrets because I feel like I probably wouldn’t have won. I wish I would’ve taken my time more between points. I was stressed and I was kind of rushing. That is something concrete I definitely could’ve done better. I guess I’d have to watch the match to know more. In 10 more years," she added.
"The moment just felt so much important" - Eugenie Bouchard on competing in front of Princess Eugenie in Wimbledon 2014 final
During the same podcast, Eugenie Bouchard opened up about being overcome with nerves before the 2014 Wimbledon Championships final, which were exacerbated when she was informed that Princess Eugenie of York would be in attendance for the match.
The Canadian, named after the royal, shed light on the surreal and "amazing" experience of playing in front of her namesake, emphasizing the importance of the moment.
"I was definitely very nervous for the final. I was told right before the match that Princess Eugenie, who I was named after, was going to be in attendance, was going to be watching," Eugenie Bouchard said.
"It probably would’ve been better if I didn’t know that. An amazing moment in my life that I just think is so cool because I was literally named after her. The moment just felt so much important," she added.
Eugenie Bouchard is currently gearing up to partner Andy Roddick in Pickleball Slam 3. The formidable duo will battle it out against Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf for a $1 million prize on February 16, 2025.