Genie Bouchard certainly made headlines when she joined the PPA Tour. 

There were haters, doubters, and skeptics. No surprise there.

And while her performance at the PPA Masters in January showcased the major learning curve ahead, Bouchard’s steady improvement on the 20x44 in recent months definitely deserves recognition.

When she began her pickleball journey, the 2014 Wmbledon finalist thought her best event would undoubtedly be singles.

“Everyone told me at the beginning that singles would be the most natural to me because it’s so much like tennis, but I also felt uncomfortable and like a fish out of water on the court because I’d never played this before,” shared Bouchard. “I actually preferred having a partner with me to help me out. I liked women’s and mixed doubles more because I didn’t feel alone out there. I didn’t feel awkward and weird when I had a partner next to me because I didn’t know what I was doing when I was out there.”

There were some lacklustre results at first and criticism online from time to time, but that didn’t deter Bouchard from learning the intricacies of America's fastest-growing sport and solidifying her overall game. 

Bouchard joined forces with a slew of talented pros in tournament play, including Tyler Loong, Ryan Sherry, Chao Yi Wang, Ava Ignatowich, Kaitlyn Christian, Blaine Hoveneir, among others, all of whom helped teach her valuable skills to facilitate her transition to pickleball.

“Doubles is fun because of that partner aspect. All my partners are better than me because everyone on tour is better than me, so it’s fun to be able to learn from them and they help me so much,” she praised. “I enjoy the dynamic of having a buddy on the court with me. It’s fun to always have those automatic friends in your partners and get to play with them frequently.”

Sherry, in particular, has become one of Bouchard's closest friends on tour.

He often sits courtside at her matches cheering her on and helping with strategy. 

“Ryan and I train together, and sometimes he’ll come to Miami and we’ll do some training sessions together. When we go to tournaments, he’ll help me out. I played doubles with him for the first time in San Clemente, and even though we lost, it was still really fun,” she mentioned. “He has such a fun and outgoing personality. It makes it enjoyable to play with him.”

Admittedly, though, the Canadian star has come to appreciate the singles game in pickleball as well.

That shouldn't come as a surprise given her background.

“I liked doubles first, but now I like singles because I’ve got some match wins under my belt,” confirmed Bouchard. “I feel like singles is probably where I can be at my best because I’ve done tennis for 25 years and the game is more similar to that.” 

Her impressive run to the semifinals at the Rate Championships in Las Vegas was a much needed confidence boost in the discipline, of course.

And she has become more engrained in the pickleball community, too, by teaming up with Versix to launch a signature paddle.

The future is bright for Bouchard on the PPA Tour.

Medals could be coming soon.