Tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has announced a new career move, leaving many of her fans outraged.
The former world number five - who went viral a few years back for dating a fan - has achieved quite a bit in her tennis career to date.
Bouchard made the final of the prestigious Wimbledon tournament in 2014, which came after semi-final appearances in the Australian and French open in the same year.
However, her tennis career has somewhat dwindled in recent years and she has not been in a main draw of a Grand Slam since 2020.
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She has also reached the fourth round of a major just twice since 2015, so the career move is hardly a surprise.
Bouchard has decided to dump her career as a tennis player for the time being for pickleball.
For those not aware of the racket or paddle sport, it has emerged as a rival to tennis in recent years, and is actually the fastest-growing sport in the US.
So much has been its rise that the sport has managed to prise away Bouchard from Tennis, with pickleball chiefs describing the move as 'one of the biggest signings of the year'.
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The Carvana PPA Tour - the professional tour of pickleball - announced the news of the tennis player's singing on Instagram.
Captioning a photo of Bouchard in her new gear, the league wrote: "With one of the biggest signings of the year ✍️ Genie Bouchard, professional tennis star with a WTA #5 career high in singles, joins the PPA Tour in 2024!"
The Carvana PPA Tour involves players fighting for titles and rankings points in 25 locations across the US, all of which builds up to the PPA Finals in California.
Bouchard will be joining that for the 2024 season in the hope she can claim the top crown.
Many fans have flocked to the comment section of the announcement post on Instagram, with one stating the career move is a 'sad moment'.
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Others pointed out that Bouchard is 215th in the world rankings and won't be taking part in high level competitions.
However, Bouchard has suggested she will continue her tennis alongside pickleball.
Despite that, fans are just outright annoyed Bouchard has decided to join the PPA Tour.
"Ugh not another tennis person 😒 surely tennis pros aren’t the only recruits the PPA has to replace those who left for MLP," one person wrote on Instagram.
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A second added: "I just can’t get onboard the Pickleball train. I find it like watching giants on a mini tennis court. Not a fan."
Meanwhile, a third remarked: "Good luck to Genie. It’s ok for ex-tennis players to make a living in a less demanding sport."
Topics: Sport
Callum Jones