Former world No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard, who will face Laura Siegemund in the first round of the French Open, has not gone very deep at majors since 2014.
The Canadian is currently ranked No. 46, but in 2014 she reached the semis of the Australian Open and the French Open. She made it all the way to the final of Wimbledon, where she beat Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep before falling to Petra Kvitova in the final.
In 2015, the now 22-year-old hit a wall. She reached the quarters at the Aussie Open, but then fell in the first round at nine subsequent tournaments that year.
Former 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert said in a conference call for ESPN and TSN that Bouchard could start to be a presence once again.
“I think she has the game to make it deep into the Grand Slams,” Evert said. “Once a champion, always a champion, and I think she has champion qualities as far as the mental aspect of the game. A couple of years ago I saw the grit and the determination and the confidence that she had. There is no reason she can’t get that back."
This season, Bouchard has managed to reach two finals at small events, in Hobart and Kuala Lumpur. She has also pulled off upsets of former French finalist Jelena Jankovic and world No. 2 Kerber. She was blown out, 6-1, 6-0, by Barbora Strycova in the third round in Rome a week ago.
"She is now in a different stage of her career,” Evert said. “She has gone through adversity and losses and some emotional challenges. She has to be more thoughtful and plan out what her strategy is. I think entering a lot of tournaments is a good ploy because she needs to win matches to get that confidence back. You don’t just snap your fingers.”
Bouchard is now working with coach Nick Saviano for the second time.