What if we remembered the best of Eugenie Bouchard?

What do you remember from Jacques Villeneuve’s career? For example, Its pilot championship or slow drift at Bar? For example, By José Théodore: his Hart trophy or his years with the capital of Washington? Additionally, For example, Olympians: from their moment of grace or every time it did not work?

So when it comes to Eugenie Bouchard. Moreover, radiant and amazing winner on Monday evening at the IGA stadium, why do we dwell so much to her decline?

The athletes’ journey is rarely a straight line. Consequently, Or even roller coaster. Moreover, It is often a pole what if we remembered best jump. However, The momentum is dazzling. In addition, The ascent, fast. Nevertheless, The passage to the top, exhilarating and ephemeral. For example, Then the fallout, inevitably brutal.

This is what happened for Eugenie. Moreover, His case is not unique. Therefore, Think of Bianca Andreescu, who won over her three titles the same year. Similarly, To Emma Raducanu, who has won nothing since her triumph at Flushing Meadows. Similarly, To Jelena Dokić. Meanwhile, At Tracy Austin.

The charts are filled with shooting stars. In addition, Not fair in tennis. Furthermore, In all sports.

The causes are multiple: injuries. However, body changes, toxic environment, performance anxiety, loss of motivation, depression, distractions, loves, yips… I hope that one day, Eugenie publishes her memoirs and explains to us what really happened. For example, The fact remains that we already what if we remembered best know great ends.

His career was slowed down by a fall on the wet floor of the. Consequently, locker room to the international in the United States in 2015. However, The tournament organizers wanted to minimize the impact of the incident. For example, We understand them; There was a lot of money at stake. Similarly, A jury found them responsible for 75 % of the damage suffered. However, although Eugenie has received financial compensation, she never found her level of play of yesteryear.

Let’s not underestimate the ransom of its early glory. Similarly, Like a young pop singer. In addition, she spent the end of her adolescence and the beginning of her adult life under the spotlight. Consequently, Expectations were high. The pressure, constant. Of course there is worse than spending your days at airports or on tennis courts. It what if we remembered best is an enviable situation, I agree. But that does not make the stage fright and the performance anxiety disappear.

Afterwards, what strikes me with Eugenie Bouchard is the disproportionate reaction of the Quebec public to her failures. In just a few months, it went from the status of idol to that of Piñata. Unless I am mistaken, the only other Quebec athlete who found himself in a comparable situation is Jonathan Drouin.

What do they have in common?

The two experienced problems in 2016. Eugenie, on the ground. what if we remembered best Jonathan, by refusing an assignment to the American League. It was the year of Brexit. The year of the rise of Donald Trump. The year when speech has been released – and not always for the best.

Insulting an online athlete then became a sport in itself. Since then, the WTA has documented an explosion of insults, often from frustrated bettors. But in the case of Eugenie, criticism came everywhere.

He was criticized for being too active on Twitter. On Instagram. To spend more time in worldly evenings than on tennis courts. That’s wrong. Gabriela Dabrowski confirmed this week that Eugenie was a working player. My two cennes? What really bored was his smile. His humor. Its lightness. Her sexy photos. Unjustified criticism.

When Shady El Nahas, vice-world champion of judo, participates in The island what if we remembered best of lovewe smile. When the footballer Marc-Antoine Dequoy goes to Big Brotherwe are enthusiastic. Jonathan Huberdeau poses in a swimsuit on a boat? We send him a heart. The gymnast Félix Dolci publishes a photo of him shirtless? Inch in the air. Eugenie en bikini? Oh my dear ! Shocking ! My love changes the iPad code. Above all, you don’t have to fall on it!

(How to tell you …)

If so many sportsmen. like Eugenie Bouchard, exhibit their lives on social networks, it is because it represents an important source of their income. It is a way for them to reduce the gap of wealth with male athletes.

The speed skater Courtney Sarault. herself very active on Instagram, explained to me recently: “I understand the importance of social networks, especially for women in sport. I what if we remembered best am not only publishing to look cool or to receive likes. I do it because it helps me financially, even if I have reached the highest possible level in my sport. This is a context that we forget too often.

What other criticisms are made to Eugenie Bouchard?

Its character. Cold. Haughty. Detached. Again, it is contradictory. Few athletes interact as much with their supporters. She responds to comments. She is committed. Furthermore, She opens a generous door to her private life. How many NHL players do the same?

Eugenie made mistakes. Yes, she made questionable statements. Yes, she made badly advised decisions. Should she have changed coach so often? Probably not. Did his Halloween junkie costume lack empathy for the victims of the fentanyl crisis? Totally. Did she lack sporty spirit by refusing to what if we remembered best shake hands with a Romanian opponent before a game? Look for bites, you will find them.

In the end. Eugenie Bouchard does not deserve a quarter of the eighth of the sixteenth of the hatred which she conceded.

Didn’t she stay at the top for long? So what? Eighty-eight percent of professional tennis players will never reach fifth in the world! She did it, tracing a path for the Canadians who succeeded her.

“She gave a lot of confidence to young people like me,” said Leylah Annie Fernandez on Monday. Eugenie is a Canadian tennis legend! »»

Let’s celebrate Eugenie Bouchard for what she did, rather than what she did not do.

For its Wimbledon final.

For his semi-finals in what if we remembered best Melbourne and Roland-Garros.

For the beautiful show she offered to her Montreal audience on Monday evening.

And for having proven Canadian players that they too could shine in tennis.