After not finishing in the Top 50 of the WTA Rankings since 2016, Eugenie Bouchard wants to bounce back in 2023, but she didn't start as she would have imagined.
The 28-year-old Canadian defeated Ann Li in her first match of the season in the qualifying for the 2023 ASB Classic in Auckland. In the final match, which would qualify her for the main draw, Bouchard was supposed to take on Katie Volynets from the United States, but she withdrew from the match.
At first, it wasn't clear what the issue was but shortly after the 2014 Wimbledon champion revealed it to her fans on social media.
"Got really bad food poisoning Saturday night. Was up all night throwing up. So sad I had to withdraw from my match in Auckland," she revealed on her Instagram stories. "This is me waiting to see the doc Sunday morning."
"My attempt at dinner – Sunday night – only got through about five pieces of pasta" she said, adding, "Slept 12 hours last night and feel so much better now (Monday). Is it a bad omen that I spent the first 8 hours of 2023 clinging to the toilet? Let me know," she wondered."