BBC pundit called for more short shorts at Wimbledon with ‘sex appeal’ comment
Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has joined the BBC presenting team for this year's Wimbledon coverage, a move that is sure to delight many fans. Bouchard first turned heads at the Championships back in 2014, when she stormed through to the women's singles final at just 20 years of age.
Yet the Montreal-born talent has consistently attracted considerable attention away from the court as well. Earlier this year, the 32-year-old posted a series of provocative photographs as part of a retrospective look back at 2016. And the BBC newcomer has been refreshingly candid about the role sex appeal has played in raising the profile of both herself and fellow tennis stars. "Tennis, first of all, is a great sport for that sex appeal side," Bouchard told YouTuber Valeria Lipovetsky during a 2024 podcast episode. "We're wearing short skirts, we're wearing tank tops. It's fun to turn on the TV and watch that.
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"Right away I was able to get great marketing deals off the court. Being asked to be in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition a few times. Exploring that path was definitely on my to-do list. It's definitely part of who I am because I think it's great."
On the court, Bouchard was unable to surpass the heights of that breakthrough 2014 campaign. She advanced to two Grand Slam semi-finals alongside her Wimbledon final appearance against Petra Kvitova, yet failed to progress beyond the quarter-final stage at the major tournaments thereafter.
Her final appearance in Wimbledon's main draw was in 2019. She also entered qualifying in 2023 but was beaten in straight sets by Greet Minnen.
While she didn't officially hang up her racket until 2025, Bouchard has been making waves on the pickleball circuit. She turned professional in her second sport in 2024 and, at the time of writing, sits 12th in the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) world rankings.
Back in 2019, the Canadian star spoke to the Telegraph regarding accusations that she had transformed into more of an Instagrammer than a tennis player. "I think everyone cares what people think about them so saying, 'I don't care about them at all,' would be a lie," she said.
"Obviously I do care just like everybody else would. I also try to take it as a compliment because it means you've done something, stood up for something, created enough emotion for them to engage with you.
"Who are the most famous people in the world? They have the most haters in the world. Kim Kardashian, Donald Trump. It's part of life now so we have to accept it. You have to distance yourself from it and not take it too personally, and also realise that most of them would want to be in your spot."
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