Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard, once dubbed 'the world's sexiest tennis player', has been named part of BBC Sport's Wimbledon coverage team for 2026, sparking debate after her past comments on sex appeal in tennis resurfaced.
Bouchard's Wimbledon Debut and Off-Court Persona
Bouchard, now 32, reached the women's singles final at Wimbledon in 2014 at age 20, losing to Petra Kvitova. She also made two other Grand Slam semi-finals that year. However, she never advanced beyond the quarter-finals of a major thereafter. Her last main-draw Wimbledon appearance was in 2019; she lost in qualifying in 2023 to Greet Minnen. She officially retired from professional tennis in 2025.
Off the court, Bouchard has built a significant social media presence. Earlier in 2026, she shared raunchy throwback photos from 2016 on Instagram. In a 2024 podcast with YouTuber Valeria Lipovetsky, she said: 'Tennis, first of all, is a great sport for that sex appeal side. We’re wearing short skirts, we’re wearing tank tops. It’s fun to turn on the TV and watch that.' She added that sex appeal helped her secure marketing deals, including appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
Transition to Broadcasting and Pickleball
Since retiring, Bouchard has moved into broadcasting and also turned professional in pickleball in 2024. As of June 2026, she is ranked 12th in the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) world rankings. Her BBC punditry role marks her debut as a broadcaster at Wimbledon.
Previous Comments on Criticism
In 2019, Bouchard told the Telegraph about accusations that she had become more of an Instagrammer than a tennis player: 'I think everyone cares what people think about them so saying: 'I don’t care about them at all' would be a lie. Obviously I do care just like everybody else would. I also try to take it as a compliment because it means you’ve done something, stood up for something, created enough emotion for them to engage with you.' She compared having haters to Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump, saying 'It’s part of life now so we have to accept it.'
