OPRAH’S MY HERO
Genie so inspired by US TV star
EUGENIE Bouchard, n a med after a British princess, will assume the throne of current Queen of the court Maria Sharapova if she wins Wimbledon today. Their similarities are manifold, from their steely focus and striking looks to an icecold ambition to reach the top — even if that means cutting loose old friends.
Bouchard is 13th seed at Wimbledon, the same as Sharapova was when she won here in 2004. But Bouchard is more interested in emulating Oprah Winfrey.
The Canadian starlet, who takes on Petra Kvitova in her first Grand Slam final, draws parallels from her own life with the way Winfrey has dragged herself from poverty to become one of the richest women in the world.
‘I’ve worked really hard in my life,’ said Bouchard, ‘ so I appreciate other people who have done the same and have these amazing dreams and actually work hard and go out and achieve them.
‘She came from nothing and built herself up to this huge empire and the richest woman in the world. I love rags-to-riches stories like that. I identify with them.’
Bouchard is not from a povertystricken background, but the 20-year-old from Westmount, Montreal, is no stranger to hard work and is now on the brink of building her own Winfrey-style empire.
She is already being courted by multinational corporations, but Bouchard is keen to emphasise this is not a story of overnight success.
Aged 12, she moved with her family to a tennis academy in Florida run by coach Nick Saviano, forgoing the usual thrills of high school life enjoyed by twin sister Beatrice.
‘It was my full- time j ob at 12 years old,’ she said, ‘but it wasn’t a sad time. I was really excited for the opportunity and I wanted to improve my tennis. I was happy to play tennis all day long.’ Bouchard, like Sharapova, is the consummate professional. She has the same tunnel-vision focus in training as she does in matches.
Yesterday morning at t he Aorangi practice courts at the All England Club, she completed her last full practice before the biggest match of her life. On the hottest day of the year, Bouchard went through the motions with Saviano, who is now her full-time coach.
For an hour she went full tilt, taking the ball early and aggressively just as she does during matches. Team Bouchard were in good spirits — a far cry from her final practice before her French Open semi-final against Li Na. On that occasion tempers were frayed and she stormed off court after a cross word with Saviano.
‘She’s great, she’s in good shape, ready to go and she won’t be overawed by the occasion,’ said Saviano. ‘She’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever worked with. She dictates play, her agility and her hand- eye coordination are exceptional and she picks up things on the fly so she can easily adapt.’
Bouchard is gaining fans with every victory but she does not have many friends in the locker room.
When she won junior Wimbledon two years ago, Bouchard stayed at the home of British star Laura Robson. They became close as they rose through the ranks together, but relations have soured between the pair, reportedly due to jealousy over Saviano, who is also part of Robson’s coaching team. While Robson has been sidelined since January, Bouchard has soared up the rankings and become Saviano’s No 1 project.
When asked if she and Robson were still good friends, Bouchard replied bluntly: ‘No, I don’t think so. I think you can work out what happened. I’ll leave it at that.’
Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011, does not have the same cold outlook on life. ‘Of course I think it is possible to have friends on tour,’ she said, ‘I have many so I’m definitely not against that.’
The Czech was ruthless in dispatching three of her compatriots — Andrea Hlavackova, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and Lucie Safarova — on her way to the final.
‘I know them well but I don’t really know Eugenie,’ she said, ‘I don’t speak to her but I know she’s playing well and that’s what matters.’