Bouchard on criticism she and Kyrgios get: ‘Haters are going to hate’

“It’s really important to not listen to those people and just kee

Eugenie Bouchard and Nick Kyrgios have had discussions about the criticism they receive, according to Bouchard, and have taken a similar attitude towards it.

“Yeah, we have spoken about it a little bit,” Bouchard said in an interview with Fairfax Media.

The two, who played mixed doubles together at the 2015 U.S. Open, have both attracted attention for their on-court potential and off-court personas since they arrived on tour. Recently, that attention has been more negative than positive. Kyrgios was at the center of controversy last year with his “odd” behavior during matches, and Bouchard became one of the sport’s more marketed players as her ranking slid heavily.

“We just came to the conclusion that haters are going to hate,” Bouchard said, “and we weren’t going to listen to them. It’s really important to not listen to those people and just keep doing you. That’s Nick’s attitude as well, and I think that’s really cool. I respect that.”

In comments previously published by Fairfax, the 22-year-old Canadian spoke more specifically about the attention she has received for her appearance, and the sponsorships and publicity that accompanied her climb to the Top 5.

“If you can have results like I have had‑—right now I’m not having results, but I have had results—what’s wrong with it?” she said. “To get results and be known outside of the tennis world—doing different shoots, be in magazines—to me I’m taking advantage of all the opportunities I have because of all the hard work I put in.

“For sure, people are jealous, but you have to see that as a backhanded compliment … As for the players on tour, I try to stay in my bubble and do my own thing. But I’m not going to let other people’s thoughts or judgments put limitations on me.”

Bouchard insists she is committed to getting back to the top of her game, and her season started out strong with a semifinal showing in Sydney this week.

“For me, tennis is my No. 1 priority,” she said. “People say, ‘You do more photo shoots than practice.’ I probably do less photo shoots than other players on tour. I just get the hate for it, I get the press for it. People are going to hate no matter what. I’m going to do me.”

Bouchard is currently 49th in the rankings.