The grim end of Eugénie Bouchard, the tennis player whose life changed after a slip

Eugénie Bouchard has called it quits on tennis. At 31, she announced that her final tournament will be the WTA 1000 in Montreal , after a career in which she had everything she needed to succeed, but an unexpected slip-up opened other doors for her . With her head further away from the racket and after suffering several injuries, the Canadian player has decided it's time to call it quits. But the question mark will always remain, as she had everything she needed to succeed .

Not so long ago, Bouchard was one of the most in-form players on the international scene. As a youngster dreaming of becoming a professional, she won Wimbledon in 2012 , making her the world number two junior. She displayed unique talent for success , especially thanks to that dominant forehand she displayed from the baseline. And it didn't take long for her to prove, among the best, that she could succeed in world tennis.

Just two years later, in 2014, she confirmed that she had enough game to make her mark. She won her first title in Nuremberg and also confirmed her level at the majors: semifinalists at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, her big breakthrough came at Wimbledon, where she reached the grand final . However, she was left wanting more after Petra Kvitová took the title. But Bouchard had confirmed that she could be among the greats.

She managed to climb into the world's top five , and her physical attractiveness had already landed her major advertising contracts because, in addition, her tennis was on par with her. But in the summer of 2015, everything changed: an unexpected slip in the US Open locker room caused a concussion that sidelined her for a while. After that, she was never the same again. Something changed that caused tennis to cease to be Bouchard's main focus .

Legal issues following her fall and various injuries began to steal her focus from the court. And then, she discovered the true potential she had beyond tennis . First as a model and then as an influencer, she gradually gained notoriety among an audience far removed from tennis. It was then that it became clear to her that sport was no longer her priority. Bouchard was a tennis player who could have reached the top of the WTA, but she discovered another world that fulfilled her more .

Little by little, social media and advertising contracts took over the space previously occupied by tennis, where he had been playing less and less frequently due to injuries. The results weren't good, but he knew the courts would allow him to have a greater impact. He soon saw that his world, after a hypothetical retirement, could be focused on the world of advertising . And, evidently, tennis gave him the opportunity to open many more doors .

" Tennis is a great sport for sex appeal . We wear short skirts, tops... It's good to turn on the TV and watch, so it's helped me get bookings off the court. I've been asked to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated in swimwear. That was on my bucket list . It's part of who I am and I think it's great. It's helped me grow my fan base, my audience and that's improved my bookings," she explained in an interview on the Not Alone podcast .

Now, at 31, she has confirmed that the Montreal WTA 1000, where she will play after receiving a wild card, will be the last of her sporting career . Eugénie Bouchard was a tennis player who could have reigned supreme, but an unfortunate slip at the height of her career opened a path for her that, until then, she had not taken much . Now, the world number 1,078 will put her racket aside for good . The farewell of a player who grew tired of tennis very early on.