Eugenie Bouchard has decided to play Fed Cup this week against Romania after initially saying she did not plan to participate in the tie.
The Canadian team was originally announced with only three players: Gabriela Dabrowski, Sharon Fichman and Francoise Abanda. The unusual move kept a spot open for Bouchard to play the World Group Playoff tie. The team had also not named a fourth player in its previous tie against the Czech Republic, but Bouchard did not end up playing it, having just reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
The 21-year-old has won only two matches since Melbourne, most recently accepting a wildcard into Charleston and falling in the first round as the top seed.
"It’s special to me that next week’s Fed Cup tie is taking place in my hometown of Montreal," she said in a statement from Tennis Canada.
"We are very happy that we will be able to count on [Bouchard] for our next Fed Cup tie. She is a great leader and the cornerstone of our team,” Canadian captain Sylvain Bruneau said. "Having our No. 1 player and home court advantage really helped us in 2014."
Romania's top-ranked player, Simona Halep, is not playing the tie. The winning team will qualify for World Group competition in 2016.