Bouchard happy to feel the burn after successful return to tennis

VANCOUVER — Her first match left her exhausted physically and mentally, but Eugenie Bouchard couldn’t be happier.

After a 17-month layoff recovering from right shoulder surgery the native of Westmount, Que., is back playing tennis at the Odlum Brown VanOpen.

"The goal of surgery and coming back is to be able to play exactly how I want to and how I was playing before,” the 28-year-old former world No. 5 said Monday.

"This is what we do as athletes. The point is not to practice all the time, the point is to play."

Bouchard opened the tournament Sunday night, teaming up with fellow Canadian Kayla Cross to defeat Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti and Elisabetta Cocciaretto in a doubles match.

“I was exhausted,” Bouchard said with a smile. “I started feeing tight in my body, my muscles were getting sore.

“It’s just that mental focus. To play in a match is different than practice. It’s about getting those reps in over and over again. I’ll get the endurance from that and be able to get back to playing matches totally normal, but it’s one baby step."

Bouchard plays her first single match Tuesday against Arianne Hartoro of the Netherlands, a player she knows nothing about. Bouchard knows there may be bumps along the road and accepts being an underdog.

"Expectations are really low, expectations are on the floor," said the two-time Canadian Press female Athlete of the Year. "My actions and my personal standards are high but in terms of results, we don’t know what to expect.

"I've never had to come back from surgery before, I’ve never had such a big injury. For me, it’s really ground zero."

The Odlum Brown VanOpen ends Sunday. The tournament, which returns after missing two years due to COVID-19, has attracted 135 players to the Hollyburn