By Mike McIntyre
While Canada's Genie Bouchard may have slipped in the rankings and by her own admission hasn't been quite herself so far in 2015, you'd never know it based on the attention she received in Toronto Friday at the draw ceremony for the Rogers Cup. Bouchard was the face of the tournament presented to the media, corporate sponsors and other special guests at the Hilton Hotel to kick-off the premiere Canadian tennis event of the year. Yes she has struggled with a 4-13 record so far this season on the WTA Tour, but Canada's tennis hopes on the women's side still begin and end with the 21 year old from Westmount, Quebec.
There has been much for Bouchard to reflect upon so far in 2015
Dressed in a playful striped crop-top and black overalls, Bouchard was all business while addressing the press. She succinctly stated that her goals for the event are, "to have a good performance whether I win or lose." This start from scratch mentality also involved jettisoning her coach Sam Sumyk with whom she had been working since just after the Australian Open in February. Bouchard says she is looking for someone who can help her address, "the technical side, the tactical side, the mental side (and) the physical side" of her game. She continued to say that she needed someone, "who has the experience at the top level and who can help me improve daily." While I'm not sure how many available coaches out there fit that bill, it was positive to hear Bouchard admit that there are many facets of her game that require improvement for her to get back to playing more confident and successful tennis.
Whether that will happen here in Toronto remains to be seen. Bouchard drew a tough first round opponent in Switzerland's Belinda Bencic. The 18 year old Bencic is currently ranked No. 22 in the world (compared with Bouchard who sits at No. 26) and is playing in the doubles finals of the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. this weekend before arriving for the Rogers Cup. The match between her and Bouchard will take place Tuesday night at the Aviva Centre in front of a packed house no doubt. Then we will see if Bouchard's fresh start is able to yield the encouraging results that both she and her fans are looking forward to.
The Junior edition of the Genie Army was present Friday to say hello
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