No longer coached by Thomas Hogstedt, Eugenie Bouchard says she is going to start working with Nick Saviano again.
The Canadian had Saviano in her corner in Charleston for what she described as an ad hoc partnership, and plans to reunite with her former coach at the French Open. Her hitting partner will coach her for her next two events.
"This week I am with my fitness trainer and then my coach, Cyril Saulnier,” she told the *Montreal Gazette*. “He has been with me when I was training with Thomas Hogstedt in the past, as well. So I’m here with him for Madrid and Rome, and the plan is for Nick Saviano to come the week before the French.
"I’ve known him since I was 12, and he is almost like a second father figure to me. He’s been coaching me for so many years, so it’s interesting to have taken a break ... I have this trust with Nick, because we know each other so well and for so long. No one else can duplicate that. I also think he’s really good for me because he knows my game so well."
Bouchard, who reached two Grand Slam semifinals and a Grand Slam final with Saviano in 2014, began working with Sam Sumyk following the 2015 Australian Open. The two ended their partnership following Wimbledon, and Bouchard then started with Hogstedt following the U.S. Open, though she slipped at the tournament and suffered a concussion. She did not complete a match the rest of the season.
Bouchard said she is no longer experiencing concussion symptoms, describing herself as "98 percent good," but the Madrid Open will be her first event since she had to retire in Charleston with an abdominal injury that initially bothered her at Wimbledon.
"I don’t know exactly how it’s gonna go, but I’m feeling good and I’m excited to be back on the tour," she said. "It’s something that has come back a few times, so it’s definitely something my team and I are really focusing on."
She is now attempting to rebuild her game and her ranking following a season in which she won consecutive matches at just six events. Bouchard has improved to 16-8 this season, but is still a long way from where she was.
"I feel like it’s my first year on tour," she said "...We’re thinking of getting rid of all the too-much-thinking on the court. That’s what I did in the past year; some changes I might have done that were wrong for me. It’s just going back to basics, to what I know and to what made me a great player.”
Bouchard is No. 46 in the rankings.