Eugenie Bouchard walks off the court after losing to Ekaterina Makarova on day eight of the US Open on Monday. (EPA)
Fame finally caught up with Eugenie Bouchard on Monday in a groggy, dizzy conclusion to her Grand Slam season which ended in a fourth round loss at the US Open.
The 20-year-old Canadian golden girl, playing her 58th match of a breakout year which saw her reach the semi-finals of the Australian and French Opens and take the runner-up spot at Wimbledon, went down 7-6 (2), 6-4 to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova.
It was a disappointing way to end her US Open, but she admitted her status as the new poster girl of the women’s game had probably played a role.
Monday’s match was played in the crushing heat and humidity of the afternoon whereas her last two matches had been in the prime night-time slot on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I was feeling very light headed and dizzy on the court, just seeing things a little blurry. I just generally didn’t feel good,” said the seventh seed.
“I have had a few late, tough matches here, and I don’t think I fully recovered from those. The doctors think the heat got to me a little bit. And they know I probably was more tired than usual from the past few matches.
“You know, I think I did well to push myself through those matches, but I also need to have the endurance. I haven’t had that in the past few months, basically. So it’s not a huge surprise to me.”
Bouchard had to have both her blood pressure and temperature taken midway through the second set.
Her on-court struggles were at dramatic odds with the cheerful, articulate blonde who mesmerised Wimbledon with tales of her mother’s obsession with the British royal family as well as her own fondness for pop star Justin Bieber and “Big Bang Theory” star, Jim Parsons.
OUTSIDE EXPECTATIONS
But since those days at the All England Club, Bouchard has been distinctly under-powered, winning just one match in three tournaments coming into New York, a run of form which suggested she is far from the finished article.
“I definitely felt a lot of outside expectations and pressure to win matches,” she admitted.
“I felt more like it’s normal if I win and it’s a bit more of a disaster when I lose. But that’s something that I need to block out. It’s what I have been working on. I feel like I have been dealing with it well generally to just go back to the basics, focus on my tennis.
“That is what’s has gotten me to this point, so I just need to keep going on that path.”
Despite the US Open setback, Bouchard can still look back on an impressive year.
She was Canada’s first ever Grand Slam singles semi-finalist at Wimbledon after she had clinched a maiden tour title at Nuremburg in the run-up to the French Open and been named 2013’s newcomer of the year.
“I think I have made great strides this year,” added the world number eight.
“Just playing at this high level week in and week out is something I need to get a bit more used to, how physical it is, as well. But I’m proud with how I have improved as a player and as a person. I’m looking forward to the end of the year. I want to finish on a good note.”
