Eugenie Bouchard has slammed the sport of tennis for its double standards, claiming she’d have been “crucified” if she’d admitted to loving the spotlight a decade ago.
The Canadian’s comments come hot on the heels of British Men’s No. 1 Jack Draper confessing he’s got a bit of a thing for the camera, revealing in a British Vogue that he’s all about that modelling life when he’s not smashing it on the court. The 22-year-old said: “I quite enjoy being in front of the camera – if I’m looking good, that is.”
But Genie, who was at the peak of her powers in 2014 when she stormed into the Wimbledon final, wasn’t having any of it. She hinted that back in her heyday, such a confession would’ve landed her in hot water.
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Taking to social media, the 30-year-old didn’t hold back, posting: “If I had said this 10 years ago I would have been crucified,” while chucking in a cheeky laughing emoji for good measure. Genie’s fans were quick to back her up, flooding the comments with their opinions, reports the Mirror.
One supporter chimed in with: “The double standard is real,” while another echoed: “You still would be today! ” A third fan pointed out: “Raducanu is still getting criticised, nothing has changed for women. Double standards still exists,” and yet another added their voice saying: “Fair point.”
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(Image: Getty Images for LTA)
Young tennis sensation Draper recently reached a career high, surpassing Cameron Norrie to become Britain’s No. 1 – largely due to his first ATP title win at Stuttgart’s Boss Open last week, where he triumphed over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in a nail-biting final. Currently ranked 31st globally, Draper is setting his sights on catching up with Jannik Sinner as his career advances.
Currently, Draper is showcasing his skills at Queen’s as he gears up for Wimbledon, where he hopes to make a significant impact. His best performance at SW19 so far was reaching the second round in 2022.
(Image: @geniebouchard/Instagram)
In contrast, Bouchard made history in 2014 by becoming the first Canadian-born player to reach a Wimbledon singles final, where she was narrowly defeated by Petra Kvitova. That same year, she clinched her only WTA singles title to date after defeating Karolina Pliskova in the Nuremberg Cup final in Germany.
However, since then, Bouchard has struggled to replicate her earlier success and is currently ranked 552nd in the world. Her last main draw appearance at Wimbledon was back in 2019, where she was unable to progress beyond the first round.