Eugenie Bouchard is expected to retire after the 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal, Canada. Among those paying tribute was The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons, a longtime fan of Bouchard.
The connection is mutual as Bouchard is a ‘TBBT’ fan, and Parsons, a tennis lover, was introduced to her through their managers. His partner, Todd Spiewak, joined him on a special Wimbledon trip to support her during her historic 2014 run.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Parsons reflected on the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience of following Eugenie Bouchard’s magical run at Wimbledon in 2014. He recalled how their managers introduced them, bonding over their shared admiration.
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When she invited him to watch her play, Parsons, who is worth $160 million (according to Celebrity Net Worth), initially couldn’t make it due to work, but stayed in touch via email.
"I was VERY nervous about writing Genie back then," he shared. "I have such an admiration for elite athletes — a man who never really played ANY sport."
Eventually, Parsons and his partner made it to London. Bouchard’s family welcomed them into her players' box, and they watched as she kept winning — second round, third, fourth, and eventually the quarterfinal. When they questioned if they should stay any longer, Parsons was told:
"We were told… we were part of this journey now — why mess with it and change the makeup of the players box?”
After Bouchard’s finals loss to Petra Kvitova, Parsons remembered being moved by her poise and presence:
"I was taken with how much the accomplishments of the last two weeks, in total, kind of radiated off of her, at least in my view."
Parsons ended by writing:
"I will be rooting for you in all that you do next. THANK YOU, GENIE!"
Playing on the WTA Tour for only the second time since she was beaten at the Canadian Open last year, Bouchard won the first round at her home WTA 1000 event. She got the better of Emiliano Arango 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
"He's more positive than all of my team combined" - When Eugenie Bouchard talked about Jim Parsons' communication with her
When Jim Parsons attended Eugenie Bouchard's matches at the All England Club in 2014, the Canadian opened up about the positivity in communication from the TV actor.
"He's emailed me after every single match I've played. He's more positive than all of my team combined. So it's a refreshing change to get a nice email with exclamation marks and smiley faces," Eugenie Bouchard said, via USA Today.
"I'm such a big fan of his show. He says he's such a big fan of me. So it's really cool that he's here to finally watch me live," she added.
Bouchard announced that the 2025 Canadian Open in Montreal will mark her farewell to professional tennis. Rising to prominence in 2014 with a Wimbledon final appearance and two Grand Slam semifinal runs, she reached a career-high World No. 5 that year.
Despite injuries and inconsistent results thereafter, Bouchard remained a significant figure, even contributing to Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup victory in 2023. In recent years, she shifted focus to pickleball and media appearances, stepping away from tour-level tennis while remaining engaged with the sport.
In her return to competition this summer, Eugenie Bouchard claimed a first-round win over Emiliana Arango. She now faces Belinda Bencic in the second round, in what could be her final dance at the place where her journey began.
