It's generally accepted the truth that reaching the top it's always easier than maintaining the level high. Along the years, the women's Tennis has been the ground that produced some brightest tennis stars as well as some disappointment-like figures. Unfortunately, Eugenie Bouchard was an actor for both sides. The success came quite earlier in her life, but her predicted path for the future was never met. Now, constantly roaming around the 50 spot in the ranking, she seems to have lost her means to achieve some greatness in the game of tennis.
Another week, another first round exit
Bouchard (56 WTA) chose the WTA event in Monterrey, Mexico as a conclusion for the first outdoor hard swing. The draw brought a 20-year-old Spaniard on the other side of the net. Sara Sorribes Tormo (98 WTA) got past Bouchard in straight sets 7-6(8) 6-3. It's a thrilling outcome for the WTA rising star from Spain while for the Canadian it's just another stone threw in the wasted chances department.The early stages of 2017 initially saw a different level of commitment from the former WTA top 5 side having played a semifinal in Sydney followed by a decent run in Melbourne where she made it to the 3rd round. But that's where the good news ended. Now it's a losing streak pulling on Bouchard as she lost in the opening match at the last 4 WTA events in Acapulco, Indian Wells, Miami and now in Monterrey.
There is no safety net to prevent the fall
Eugenie Bouchard's best season was back in 2014 when she reached at least the semis of the first three Grand Slam of the year. In Wimbledon, she went even further being a runner-up. But those glorious days have nothing in common to what she puts on the table at the time being. There are certain moments when her top game came up front, but those glimpses aren't enough to win her matches.
For most people, her professional career at the top of the game is already a lost bet, but she's just 23-year-old. Her trajectory is just another hint of how hard is to maintain a top pace in a sport as challenging as tennis is nowadays.