Eugenie Bouchard has opened up about her spat with Maria Sharapova – confessing that their rivalry is indeed “real”.
The Canadian tennis ace found herself embroiled in a verbal tussle with the four-time Grand Slam winner last year, following a sly jab at the Russian after her first-round victory over Dayana Yastremska at the Madrid Open in April 2023.
Both Yastremska and Sharapova have faced suspensions for failing drug tests, prompting Bouchard, 30, to take a swipe on X (formerly known as Twitter), posting: “There’s something about playing dopers in Madrid”, only to remove the tweet shortly thereafter, reports the Express.
In a candid chat with Valeria Lipovetsky on YouTube, the runner-up of Wimbledon 2014 was quizzed on whether her clash with Sharapova was genuine or just part of the sport’s entertainment.
Bouchard responded: “It was real but I wish there was more of the game in tennis. We need more personality, we need matches to be more hyped up just like wrestling, fighting or individual combat sports.”
She further acknowledged that allowing players to show more character could spice up the tennis scene, citing figures such as Nick Kyrgios and John McEnroe as the kind of personalities that bring excitement to the sport. “I think it would make tennis more interesting and better, we need bad boys [like] Nick Kyrgios, we need John McEnroe from back in the day.
“So for me, I was just voicing my beliefs. I strongly believe in fair and clean sport, and the whole thing escalated. Tennis could become far more exciting if the personalities were allowed to express themselves a bit more,” she said.
In early 2021, Yastremska landed herself in trouble when she tested positive for mesterolone, an anabolic steroid, resulting in a provisional suspension from competing. However, the suspension was lifted in June that year after the International Tennis Federation declared that the Ukrainian was not at fault or negligent for the positive drug test.
The Canadian tennis star admitted that her rivalry with Maria Sharapova was ‘real’
Bouchard expressed her disapproval of Sharapova’s 15-month ban after failing a drug test in 2016 – testing positive for meldonium. The Canadian tennis star argued that the two-time Roland-Garros titleholder should have been permanently expelled from the sport.
Bouchard claimed that the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) decision to allow Sharapova to return was wrong. “It’s so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way and are true,” Bouchard stated. “So, I think from the WTA it sends the wrong message to young kids – cheat and we’ll welcome you back with open arms.
“I don’t think that’s right and [she’s] definitely not someone I can say I look up to anymore because that’s definitely ruined it for me a little bit.” Just a month following Bouchard’s stern critique, she gained victory over Sharapova at the Madrid Open in 2017. Sharapova chose to stay mum on her opponent’s commentary, saying: “I don’t have anything to say I am way above that.”
