Bouchard Climbing Up The Rankings

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 30th October 2013

Bouchard Climbing Up The Rankings

epa03760826 Eugenie Bouchard of Canada celebrates her straight sets victory over Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in their second round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 26 June 2013. EPA/TOM HEVEZI |

Teenager Genie Bouchard has made a huge leap in the past year, climbing 115 ranking spots to No 32, which could have her seeded at a slam. The 19-year-old Canadian had a strong fall season, reaching the semis of Quebec City, upending Sloane Stephens and Jelena Jankovic to reach the quarters of Tokyo, qualifying and winning match in Beijing and then reaching the final of Osaka.

“I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished this year, but I’ve always believed in my skill and I think it was just a matter of time for me to get to this level,” Bouchard said. “But then again I don’t want to stay here; I want to work hard in the off-season and get ready for 2014 and try to improve as fast as I can for next year.”

A former Wimbledon girl’s titlist, Bouchard does not mind the spotlight. At 2013 as a pro, she got a last minute call to face Ana Ivanovic on Centre Court at Wimbledon and managed to pull off the upset. She called the straight set win her best match of the year.

“You can’t play on a bigger stage than that in tennis,” Bouchard said. “It was a really special moment. I was nervous, but I was also calm and able to play really well.”

The all courter Bouchard has butted heads with plenty of top-flight players this year, including Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Sam Stosur. While she couldn’t pull of an upset in any of those matches, she relished the opportunities.

“I love playing against the big players and trying to see where my game is compared to the number one player in the world like Serena or trying to challenge Sharapova at the French Open,” she said. “It’s what I’ve dreamed of doing – playing the top players in big situations – and it’s hard. I just want to try to be able to beat them in those situations.”

Bouchard just split with her coach, Nathalie Tauziat, and will spend most this off-season working with her junior coach Nick Saviano, at his academy in Florida. She, Monica Puig, Laura Robson and Sloane Stephens have all trained there before.

“I think there’s a lot to work on,” she said. “I think I can improve every part of my game. I just want to try and do really well every week and with that if I perform well, the rankings will come and the points will come.”

Topics: 10sballs.com, Ana Ivanovic, Genie Bouchard, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, Nick Saviano, Sam Stosur, Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon