And just like that, a new star is born. It was only years ago that Quebec native Eugenie Bouchard made history by becoming the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title, a junior girls victory she enjoyed on grass at Wimbledon. Fast-forward and now Bouchard ranks number 12 on the Women’s Tennis Association circuit and is poised for another run at Wimbledon in England and the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Bayview Village Tennis Camp knows that numbers don’t lie, and those numbers prove that Bouchard is in fact the new star in women’s tennis. When 1.5 million unique viewers made Bouchard’s semifinal French open match against Maria Sharapova the most watched non-final match in the history of TSN, you just knew she had arrived; that number tripled last year’s audience for the same match. But it should have come as no surprise, as earlier in the year, Bouchard’s Australian Open match against eventual champion Li Na was the most watched in Canadian television history with an overwhelming 4.4 million viewers.
Having placed second at Wimbledon 2014 and with the Rogers Cup taking place beginning August 2, Bouchard is already the centre of attention. The British Broadcasting Corporation has tagged her the “Golden Girl,” while Tennis Canada senior vice president Eugene Lapierre has said Bouchard has “developed into an international star” and feels she could be one of the top three players in the world, up there with Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
What is most exciting for Tennis Canada is how the success and star power of Bouchard translates into more young players picking up a racquet. And with Canadian Milos Raonic the ninth-ranked tennis player in the world, the hope is that their success will be the incentive kids need to get involved in the sport. Lapierre likens Bouchard’s potential impact to what Anna Kournikova did for tennis in Russia.
As a former pro himself, Bayview Village Tennis Camp director Peter Nielsen knows what it means to have someone to look up to. And while Bouchard herself was inspired by players like Sharapova, the new group of young Canadian tennis players can point to one of their own for inspiration.
Tennis camps are always a great place for youth to get experience in the sport and figure out at what level they are able to compete. With Bayview Village Tennis Camp offering openings this summer for kids of all ages and skill levels, now is a great time for your child to grab a racquet and see if becoming the next Eugenie Bouchard is in their future.
Source:
Cowan, S., “Stu Cowan: Wimbledon spotlight up next for Bouchard,” The Montreal Gazette, June 13, 2014; http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Cowan+Wimbledon+spotlight+next+Bouchard/9937214/story.html.