Eugenie Bouchard has confirmed that she is reuniting with coach Thomas Hogstedt, and says having a full team once again could help her climb back up the rankings.
According to the *Toronto Star*, Bouchard met with Hogstedt in Florida and apologized for the argument that led to their split during the clay-court season, when she went back to her old coach, Nick Saviano. They are now back on good terms, Bouchard said.
"I almost don’t see it as ending,” she told the newspaper, “more just taking a break at the spur of the moment because of an unfair incident—an unlucky bad decision by him, a bad decision by me that kind of ended things in a bad way. I think that’s why we were both so happy to work with each other again, because we didn’t have any problems, and we really enjoyed our time together.
"Now it’s about being straightforward, being honest and letting the little things go, as well, like a relationship."
The 23-year-old Canadian also has a new fitness trainer, Cassiano Costa. She didn’t have one the second half of the season.
"I didn’t even have a fitness trainer with me at all,” she said. “I think that’s part of the reason I didn’t have the success I wanted.”
Having reached a career-high No. 5 in 2014, Bouchard has had a huge slide since her breakthrough season. Her goal now is to stabilize her level of play.
"[My goal is] to be solid so that … instead of being wild and unpredictable, you have a more consistent range,” she said.
She said she needed a break following seven straight tournaments during the hard-court stretch. She finished the season with two straight first-round defeats, prompting her to take a longer offseason with less training than usual.
She does plan to get extra practice in when she returns from Melbourne.
"I was starting to get old, nagging injuries again, and mentally just not wanting to do anything," Bouchard said. "I took a lot of time, and it was honestly very, very worth it for me."
Bouchard is ranked No. 46 on the WTA tour.