When Eugenie Bouchard made the Australian Open semifinals in 2014 she was an instant hit. When she followed the result up with strong results at the French Open and at Wimbledon, she appeared to be a player with a lengthy future in the top 10. Her clear talent put her on television in big matches throughout 2014 and her appearance, which many would find attractive, made her a popular choice for photo shoots.
However, 2015 and 2016 have seen her results fade and it's not clear if she cares about maximizing her potential. Without the latter, she may remain irrelevant on tour when it comes to the big matches like the ones in Grand Slams.
Eugenie Bouchard booed in home province
Bouchard will start the 2017 season as the World No. 46, a far cry from where she was at the start of the 2015 season (World No. 7). Lowlights from 2016 include early-round losses at each of the four majors and six losses to players ranked outside of the Top 100 on tour. One of those losses was particularly damaging to her reputation.
The Montreal-born Canadian entered WTA Quebec City, a low-tiered event on the women's tour, and lost in straight sets to then-World No. 162 Alla Kudryatseva 6-2, 6-3. CBC Sports, in a September 15th article, offered a headline after the match: "Eugenie Bouchard hears the jeers after poor performance in Quebec." When you are hearing the boos in your own country then you know things are going poorly.
When looking at Grand Slam odds for 2017, there's not much that's expected out of Bouchard. For example, the Canadian is 80 to 1 to win the Australian Open with SportingBet despite the fact that she is still just 22-years-old and a former semifinalist at the event. If her dismal record against players outside of the Top 100 is any indication, she could easily go out in the first round.
She's priced long to win other events too, including 66 to 1 with Ladbrokes to win Wimbledon 2017.
If Bouchard feels the love for the game again, then she might turn things on. However, the way she just goes through the motions in some of her matches suggests that the love isn't there. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Bouchard retired before she turned 25.
Caroline Wozniacki's odds heading into 2017
Caroline Wozniacki is my pick to surprise in the upcoming season. She's currently 40 to 1 with bet365 to win the 2017 Australian Open, however I see her as below the radar at those odds (Serena Willams and Angelique Kerber are the betting favorites). Her play in 2016 improved starting with the US Open, she won two titles down the home stretch of the season, and I get the feeling that there is some hunger with her.
After blooming early in her career and perhaps losing some passion for a bit, Wozniacki is a player with some unfinished business and I'm thinking she may challenge for the World No. 1 ranking again next season.