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UPDATE: With the early withdrawal of Mayar Sherif, Bouchard is indeed into the main draw. Let’s see if she actually plays, because she has planned and entered some tournaments previously over the last couple of months.
ROLAND GARROS – The entry lists for this year’s Wimbledon were delayed this year, because of the need to remove all of Russian and Belarussians from participating in the tournament.
It seems, with the official release of the entry lists, that there is no going back now.
As a result, the cutoffs are a lot lower than normal. And because of that, Canadian Eugenie Bouchard is the next one into the tournament’s main draw if someone withdraws.
Bouchard has a protected injury ranking of No. 118.
It seems fairly likely that will be the case, as some players might still opt out because – as of this moment – there will be no ranking points distributed.
Bouchard hasn’t played since March, 2021, and had shoulder surgery almost exactly a year ago.
She was announced as returning at an ITF in Florida in April, but that didn’t happen. Bouchard also was entered in the Roland Garros qualifying. But she did not return here, either.
Comeback delayed several times
It’s unclear whether she will play any official matches before Wimbledon, although there was word she might play a WTA 125 on grass in Gaiba, Italy that begins in 10 days.
She is not entered in any of the lead-up tournaments on the grass – Nottingham, Birmingham, Berlin, s’-Hertogenbosch – or the 125 in Gaiba.
And – assuming she will move into Wimbledon’s main draw and doesn’t have to play the qualifying – she is not entered in either Eastbourne or Bad Homburg the week of June 19.
There is always, of course, the possibility of a wild card.
It’s all speculative at this point; to return after 16 months on grass with no warmup, after not having played on grass since 2019, is a risky proposition.
But she did post on Instagram with some sweet-looking grass last week.
Wimbledon a struggle since 2014
Still prominent on Bouchard’s bio is the fact that she was a finalist at Wimbledon in 2014, where she was beaten by Petra Kvitova.
Since then, it’s been a struggle at the Canadian’s favorite tournament.
In 2015, she lost to Duan YingYing of China in the first round.
In 2016, she made the third round, beating Magdalena Rybarikova in a crazy match that began on Court 12, and ended up under the roof at Centre Court. There had been a ton of rain, and there was a need to have her match finished, because the winner was scheduled to play Brit Johanna Konta in the second round.
Bouchard beat Konta, and then lose to Dominika Cibulkova in the third round.
In 2017, she lost to Carla Suárez Navarro in the first round.
In 2018, she had to get through qualifying (defeating, notably, then-ranked No. 223 Karolina Muchova in the second round at Roehampton). Then she beat the wild-card Price before falling to Barty, then the No. 17 seed.
In 2019, she lost a heartbreaker to Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia, 8-6 in the third set.
In 2020, Wimbledon was cancelled because of the pandemic.
And in 2021, she was fresh from having the shoulder surgery and obviously could not play.
About Post Author
Hello again Stephanie Myles
How much $$$ does being in the main draw mean for a player?
Thanks
LuvSlams
You can probably go Google that yourself!
OK … with that for an answer I’m kinda sorry I asked the question
So does making the main draw mean in $$$ or pounds?
Why would Genie use one of her limited protected rankings to play in a tournament that is not going to offer any ranking points? Seems strange that she would do that, or am I missing something (which I often do!)?
Kind of defies logic, doesn’t it. Of course, she hasn’t stepped on the court yet.
Just remembered – I thought I read an article 4-5 months ago which stated that Genie was hoping to return to the tour late Summer-early Fall. Stuck with me because it was more of less the same timetable as for Fed.
No comparison, really.
Federer also is, at best, playing Laver Cup (maybe doubles, or maybe not at all) in Septemberbecause of his huge financial stake in it. And then perhaps his hometown tournament in Basel in October. No other plans.
Bouchard was supposedly entered in an ITF in April in Florida. They announced her as a wild card, although it seems she already had plans that week to promote New Balance in Boston.
Through she never let her fans know either way. So they sat there refreshing the event’s website until the draw came out.
No Bouchard.
She also entered the Roland Garros qualifying (with no plans to play anything leading up to it). But she withdrew.
She would have been in the Wimbledon qualifying (not main draw) and did enter. But the absence of so many top women players because of the ban got her just squeezed in today.
But again, hasn’t played on grass in three years, and hasn’t even played a match in 16 months. And (so far) no plans to play anything before Wimbledon.
But she’s not keeping her fans posted; don’t have the faintest notion what her plans are although I heard awhile back that the shoulder was not good.
Might be better now.
(I mean, she doesn’t even have a coach)
Her former junior rival Monica Puig rehabbed from shoulder surgery intensely for months and months, finally came back on the clay. Played one match and she’s out again.
Shoulder surgeries – especially for female players – are a really, really tough thing to come back from.
Sharapova never really did; pure determination got her what she got after 2008. Aleksandra Wozniak was another who just couldn’t serve after she had surgery.