It's not a bad thing to be Eugenie Bouchard today. She's young and good looking, she has legions of fans and admirers, and, as the 2014 Wimbledon finalist, she's wildly successful at her job. A pretty fun job, at that.
With that success, however, comes visibility, and with visibility comes scrutiny, the one not-so-great aspect of Genie's life right now. And there has been a lot of it, too. From handshake-gate at Fed Cup to not wanting to make friends on tour to the fallout with former bestie, Laura Robson (who's popular and widely well-liked), Genie has been forced to deal with the negative press that comes with it and has handled it with...ambivalence?
She doesn't show much in terms of emotions, good or bad, which is a testament to her competitive focus and determination. But when you're being marketed as the fresh personality of the WTA, it's a bit off-putting to learn that Genie...isn't very personable, at all.
As fans, we like our tennis stars to have a superhero(ine)'s air about them on court, for the most part, but to show their vulnerability and their human side off of it. At the height of her dominance, there were many people who couldn't stand Serena Williams. Slowly, as her insecurities regarding her health and age began to surface, there are many more people on her side than not. Something similar could be said about Monica Seles (although her situation was much more heartbreaking), Maria Sharapova, and even Victoria Azarenka, who's injury luck and recent return have softened those who criticized her the loudest. No, she doesn't need an injury or incident to get on the public's good side. But right now, Genie's guard is up so high, it's hard to get to know who she truly is other than someone who only takes pleasure in winning and very little else.
Still, she's very young, and it's still incredibly early in her career. There will be ebbs and flows, peaks followed by valleys, and in due time, we will learn something about Genie that helps us relate to her. She will someday reveal something about herself that garners no scrutiny, but appreciation instead.
