The BBC have confirmed their broadcasting line-up for Wimbledon and one name perhaps stands out more than any other – ‘the world’s sexiest tennis player’
Canadian tennis sensation Eugenie Bouchard is part of BBC Sport’s Wimbledon team this year and plenty of fans will be delighted to hear the news.
Bouchard caught the eye at the Championships in 2014, reaching the women’s singles final at the age of just 20. However, the Montreal-born star has also attracted plenty of interest off the court.
Earlier this year, the 32-year-old shared a number of raunchy photos as part of a look back to 2016. And the BBC debutant hasn’t been shy about highlighting the ways in which sex appeal has boosted the popularity of her and other tennis stars.
“Tennis, first of all, is a great sport for that sex appeal side,” Bouchard told YouTuber Valeria Lipovetsky during a 2024 podcast episode. “We’re wearing short skirts, we’re wearing tank tops. It’s fun to turn on the TV and watch that.
“Right away I was able to get great marketing deals off the court. Being asked to be in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition a few times.
“Exploring that path was definitely on my to-do list. It’s definitely part of who I am because I think it’s great.”
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On the court, Bouchard never improved on that breakout 2014 season. She reached two Grand Slam semi-finals as well as her Wimbledon final against Petra Kvitova but never got beyond the quarter-finals in the big four since.
Her last appearance in the main draw at Wimbledon came in 2019. She also entered qualifying in 2023 but lost in straight sets to Greet Minnen.
While she didn’t officially retire from professional tennis until 2025, Bouchard has been making a name for herself on the pickleball circuit. She turned pro in her second sport in 2024 and, at the time of writing, is 12th in the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) world rankings.
In 2019, the Canadian star spoke to the Telegraph about accusations she had become more Instagrammer than tennis player. “I think everyone cares what people think about them so saying: ‘I don’t care about them at all’ would be a lie,” she said.
“Obviously I do care just like everybody else would. I also try to take it as a compliment because it means you’ve done something, stood up for something, created enough emotion for them to engage with you.
“Who are the most famous people in the world? They have the most haters in the world. Kim Kardashian, Donald Trump. It’s part of life now so we have to accept it. You have to distance yourself from it and not take it too personally, and also realise that most of them would want to be in your spot.”