It’s been 10 years since Eugenie Bouchard took Wimbledon by storm but few tennis fans would have realised that at the height of her fame, she turned down pop star Justin Bieber. The Canadian star was just 20 when she reached what would prove to be her only Slam final at SW19, beaten in straight sets by Petra Kvitova.
And the following year, she was joined by Bieber at the annual Desert Smash event, hosted by Will Ferrell at California’s La Quinta Resort. The pair teamed up as doubles partners at the event, that was in aid of the Cancer for College charity.
During an awkward on-court interview at the 2014 Australian Open, Bouchard had previously described Bieber has her ideal date. But on an appearance on the popular television show Family Feud Canada, where she appeared with her three siblings, Bouchard revealed why a romance never blossomed.
“You could have been Mrs. Justin Bieber?” she was asked. The former world No.5 smiled as she replied: “No it’s a funny story. We played a tennis match for charity and he asked me to hang out later but I had a boyfriend so I said no and I believe I deserve girlfriend of the century award.”
Bieber himself is now married to Hailey Baldwin, while Bouchard however, has not publicly declared to being in a couple since her high-profile relationship with NFL quarterback Mason Rudolph ended in 2022.
The 30-year-old is now ranked 300 in the world, and has not qualified for a Grand Slam since the 2020 French Open. It’s a far cry from what appeared her breakthrough year in 2014, where she also made the semi-finals both at Melbourne Park and in Roland Garros.
