Eugenie Bouchard spills her feelings on Serena Williams

It’s not often a world-class athlete is willing to recognize a rival as the greatest of all time (referred to as G.O.A.T. among the social-media savvy). But that’s exactly what Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard did recently — in the most endearing way possible:

Both Williams and Bouchard will be playing at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, held from July 22 to 31. The top-ranked Williams is a personal hero of the Montreal native, and Bouchard shared with Chatelaine why she admires the champ.

“She just has this mental strength and this confidence that even if she is down in a match, her opponent’s fear is that she’ll come back and win,” says Bouchard.

The 22-year-old athlete has proven her own mental resolve during a challenging few years — from a meteoric rise in 2014 to a disappointing 2015. Growing up on tour helped her manage the pressure — Bouchard moved to Florida when she was just nine to dedicate herself to training and has been playing professionally since 2009 — but there are still some pearls of wisdom she wishes she could impart to her younger self.

“If I could tell myself one thing, it would be to not worry about what anyone else says, and to really not take personally or even try to listen to all the noise around you,” she says. "You and your team are the only things that matter.”

And there was a lot of noise, especially from the media — from requests to watch her to twirl to asking her about Justin Bieber. Bouchard sat with Chatelaine ahead of the Rogers Cup to chat about lessons she's learned from life on tour. Watch the full interview here:

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