Before Emma Raducanu, there was Eugenie Bouchard, Grand Slam finalist and a social media phenomenon that transcends tennis.
The now 29-year-old Canadian quickly acknowledges that she has a lot in common with the former US Open champion.
It goes much further than the parallel that with 2.4 million she has almost as many Instagram followers as the British number 1.
Bouchard, runner-up at 2014 Wimbledon and ex-world No. 5, has had a surplus of injuries but is on his way back after a long break with shoulder problems.
She passed qualifying for the Madrid Open to advance to the second round, which she was scheduled to compete in on Friday.
Eugenie Bouchard is a social media phenomenon that transcends the sport of tennis
The Canadian, number 285 in the world, is trying to rebuild her tennis career after injury
Bouchard fully sympathizes with British hopeful Emma Raducanu, who showed signs of strain as she antagonized reporters in Madrid this week
From her currently obscure ranking of 285, she has been fascinated by Raducanu’s career.
She has empathy for a player whose struggles have continued this week.
Standing in the same spot where Raducanu gave an awkwardly terse interview on Tuesday, Bouchard pondered their shared credentials. These include the perception that they are overly focused on commercial opportunities.
“Oh yes, I see a lot of similarities,” says Bouchard, urging Raducanu to look on the bright side of life.
“I sympathize with her in the sense that there’s nothing to feel bad about with her. She has a great life and she’s ready for life, and she’s done great things.
‘But I can somewhat understand the pressure, the critical eye. She posts on a day when she’s not playing tennis and people say, “Why don’t you go practice?” and I’m like, “Oh, my God, I went through that six, eight years ago.”
“It’s so funny, people will still be haters, you know what I mean? And I think she’s going to do just fine. I think maybe she’s just, kinda like me.
“I did well, actually right away and then I had to do the steps that I missed and she probably just has to go through that a little bit.
Emma Raducanu blocked reporters and uttered only 58 words in response to 16 questions
It is a far cry from her positive interactions with the media following her shock win at the 2021 US Open
“I think she’ll be totally fine, but it’s a hard world out there. So if you’re successful, you just have to be ready for people to claw you a little bit.”
Bouchard, a contemporary of Laura Robson, rose to fame at the age of 19, reaching the SW19 final and semifinal at the Australian and French Opens.
Injuries – including a concussion she suffered when she slipped in the bathtub at the US Open – have taken away some of her best years. As of March 2021, she has not played for 17 months after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Many of the same questions have been asked about her as Raducanu, with all the effects amplified in the age of social media.
‘I’ve known who I am and what I do all along. I can work six hours a day and then go to the movies and post about the movies and people say “Oh my god she doesn’t exercise” and I’m like “You don’t know what I do every day”.
Bouchard knows what Raducanu is going through when it comes to social media snipes
She has 2.4 million Instagram followers, the same number as Raducanu has accumulated
“Social media is what people choose to show the world. You don’t know what goes on behind the scenes and I can’t repeat that often enough. It’s a highlight reel.
‘We all know that by now. A lot of tennis players post – people post more than I do these days.
“I’m so glad it’s so much more normal these days. I feel like I almost pioneered this world of social media because now everyone is doing it more than me and I’m like ‘see, it’s normal’. We may pursue other projects.
“Tennis is a great opening for people who are successful, doing other ventures and things like that. Why not? As long as you don’t let it distract you too much. Stay focused on goal #1. Why not? Life is great. Don’t put us in a box.
“Once someone is successful, people can get jealous and people just want what you have. It’s a world where dogs eat. You just have to have a hard skin and be ready for that.’
Experience has taught her that the best policy is to get out and about.
Bouchard has long since learned to just “ride it out” when it comes to the haters online
“I felt like I got a little bit of unjustified hate, so to speak, because you know, it’s still great to be 50 in the world. You can’t always win unless you are Novak or Rafa.
“I’m just a little older now. I think I see things from a life perspective more than like being young and knowing nothing about life.”
Bouchard has made enough money not to worry financially, but she still has ambitions: “I could chill, I think, for the rest of my life, but that’s not who I am.” Because that’s why I got the success I got – because I’m a fighter and like to work hard.
“I could sit on my couch and watch Netflix. And that certainly sounds appealing. But after two days I’d want to go crazy, I’d need a project and something to do.’
That helped her cope with being sidelined for so long.
Bouchard won three games in a row this week for the first time in more than two years
Her fortunes are slowly turning and she has won three games in a row this week for the first time in over two years: ‘It’s like playing for a team and being forced to sit on the bench. I’m not used to that.
‘Because in tennis you really control your own destiny, you can play whenever you want, and that’s what I love about not playing in a team sport.
“But having an injury is like forced benching and it really takes a lot of patience, and I’m not very patient, so I had to work on that. It took me a while to come back from shoulder surgery.
“But I knew I always wanted to come back because I didn’t want to let an injury define my career.”