By Charles David Mathieu-Poulin
MONTREAL – The name Eugenie Bouchard has been on everyone’s lips in the past month. The 18-year-old from Montreal is on a successful streak, winning 20 of her last 21 matches, including her Wimbledon Junior title and her first WTA quarterfinal in Washington. With an entire nation watching, ‘Genie’ Bouchard kept up her impressive play of the past few weeks by winning her first round at the Rogers Cup against a more experienced opponent, Israel’s Shahar Peer, in three tough sets.
Here are some of the best quotes of her news conference on Wednesday.
On the pressure of being Canada’s next tennis star: “I don’t think about it. I put a lot of pressure on myself and it’s the only one that counts.’’
Is she surprised of her recent successes? ‘’I always believed in myself. It’s amazing to have such wins but I’m not surprised. I know I have the level to do it, and even more. It’s all about hard work.’’
About the crowd: ‘’They were very loud. They applauded her double faults, even when she was missing first serves! They were so loud my ears were hurting at times! It was unbelievable.’’
About playing Na Li in the second round: ‘’I’ll go in there without any pressure. I know I can play well, and I know I can win if I play my best.’’
While this tournament saw the emergence of a new star, it also is the last Montreal Rogers Cup for a well-respected champion. After a tough doubles loss today, Marie-Eve Pelletier met the Montreal press probably for one last time…
When reminded about her first time in Montreal: ‘’It was about 15 years ago I think. It’s odd to think I was there such a long time ago. When you are a high-level athlete, what you like is not only play for the crowd but also for your friends and family.’’
On why she is retiring, despite her recent good results: ‘’Tennis is so tough mentally. It’s easy to look back and want to do things differently. I love to compete, but it’s the rest, like the traveling, that makes it difficult.’’
On recently focusing on doubles: ‘’I just loved doubles and was doing well. But I recently had the goal to play one more Grand Slam in singles, which I achieved as I’ll be at the US Open.’’
On what is awaiting her: ‘’I have more challenges ahead of me. I would like to stay in the tennis world, help younger players maybe. Anything that would keep me close to the courts!’’
Charles David Mathieu-Poulin blogs for WtaQuebec www.wtaquebec.com, a website promoting local Quebec players. He is covering the Rogers Cup in Montreal for Tennis Panorama News. Follow him on twitter @earthstroke, follow his Montreal coverage on @TennnisNewsTPN.
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