Eugenie Bouchard Opens Up About Career Downfall Triggered by Sudden Fame and Controversial Haircut
Canadian tennis sensation Eugenie Bouchard, who retired from professional tennis last year at age 31, has broken her silence on the tumultuous period that followed her meteoric rise to stardom. In candid interviews, Bouchard revealed how the overwhelming pressure and chaos of sudden fame led to a rebellious phase that ultimately derailed her career and cost her a lucrative sponsorship deal with Rolex.
The Weight of Expectations After Wimbledon Glory
Bouchard's breakthrough came in 2014 when, at just 20 years old, she reached the Wimbledon final while also making semifinal appearances at both the Australian Open and French Open. Though she lost the Wimbledon final to Petra Kvitova, the Montreal native became an overnight sensation, skyrocketing to a career-high world ranking of No. 5 and gaining massive media attention.
"After that Wimbledon final, my life became completely chaotic," Bouchard told the Tennis Insider Club, as reported by the Daily Mail. "Media attention, sponsors, changes on every level—everything around me transformed almost instantly. This didn't help in the short-term, and then there was the crushing weight of expectations."
Bouchard explained that before her breakthrough, winning felt amazing while losing seemed normal. After her success, however, winning became an expectation and anything less than reaching finals was viewed as catastrophic failure.
Mental Health Struggles in a Different Era
The retired tennis star admitted that the intense pressure took a severe toll on her mental health, particularly during the difficult 2015 season that followed her spectacular 2014 campaign.
"It was incredibly tough because mental health wasn't discussed openly like it is today," Bouchard revealed. "Back then, I was suffering immensely but simply didn't dare talk about it. Even admitting you saw a therapist was considered strange—people would think you were crazy or weak. I'm genuinely happy that mental health has become a completely normal topic of conversation now, but I went through a very difficult period when I couldn't discuss what I was experiencing."
The Viral Haircut That Cost a Major Sponsorship
As the pressure mounted, Bouchard began expressing herself in what she describes as "rebellious ways"—most notably through a controversial haircut that went viral and had significant professional consequences.
On the Ok Sweetie podcast, Bouchard recounted the story of her dramatic under-cut hairstyle: "To be completely fair, I wanted a very small under-cut. I don't know exactly what happened during the process, but it ended up being literally half my head. I felt like I looked like a cancer patient—this was definitely not the look I was going for. It was way more extreme than I intended."
This drastic style change proved costly when Rolex decided not to renew her sponsorship deal. According to Bouchard, the luxury watch manufacturer emailed her agent to explain that her new look "did not align" with the company's public image and brand values.
Life After Professional Tennis
Since retiring from professional tennis after last summer's Canadian Open, Bouchard has transitioned to playing professional pickleball while maintaining a substantial online presence. She continues to boast more than 2.3 million followers on Instagram, where she regularly shares updates about her adventures and activities around the world.
The tennis star's revelations provide a sobering look at the psychological challenges faced by young athletes who experience rapid fame and success. Her story highlights the importance of mental health support in professional sports and serves as a cautionary tale about how quickly public perception can shift in the high-stakes world of elite athletics.
