Eugenie Bouchard: I literally thought I was playing Serena Williams

Eugenie Bouchard admitted she lost her sense for some of the most basic tennis things during her 18-month injury break.

Bouchard, 28, played her final tournament of the 2021 season in March of that year before undergoing shoulder surgery in June of that year.

In the August of 2022, Bouchard returned to action at a WTA 125 event in Vancouver after being out for a year and a half. 

In the Vancouver first round, Bouchard suffered a 6-2 6-2 loss to 237th-ranked Arianne Hartono.

“My first, first match, I felt like the ball was coming at me so fast. I was playing a girl ranked 200, and obviously no disrespect to her, but I literally thought I was playing Serena. Her ball was coming so fast at me, I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ And that’s the thing you lose the most, that reaction speed and quickness. So that’s why I tried to play so many tournaments in a row because I was like, I just need matches right now,” Bouchard told the WTA Tour website.

Bouchard’s shoulder is now in a good place

After kicking off her 2022 season in August, Bouchard went on to play nine tournaments before the season ended. 

Bouchard didn’t really enjoy much success in those nine tournaments played but the most important thing for her was that her shoulder wasn’t causing her any pain or discomfort.

“I played three months straight from August until November, and I didn’t have any issues with my shoulder. After playing a lot, sometimes you’ll get a little bit tight, but it’s very normal and expected. I’m really looking forward to a full 2023 schedule,” Bouchard added.

Meanwhile, Bouchard kicked off her 2023 season at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

After winning her Auckland qualifying first-round match, Bouchard suffered bad food poisoning and was forced to withdraw from her qualifying final-round match.

Now, Bouchard is trying to earn an Australian Open main draw spot through the qualifying event.