Eugenie Bouchard's lawsuit against the USTA and the U.S. Open venue is a pretty bold move, considering that the 21-year-old figures to play in many more Opens during her career.
Unless she suspects that she might not play in many more Opens as a result of her unfortunate fall in a darkened physical therapy room at the event that forced her to withdraw from the event because of lingering symptoms of a concussion.
Eugenie Bouchard Sues USTA, U.S. Open For Concussion Sustained On Slippery Floor
The circumstances and severity of the injury Bouchard sustained are "mysterious," Yahoo Sports Canada has reported.
Until her lawsuit, Bouchard had little to say on the matter, and the USTA has said little about the matter since the day after Bouchard's injury in which the governing tennis body said it would investigate.
Thomas Hogstedt, Not Jimmy Connors, Begins Working With Eugenie Bouchard
That could be because Bouchard was headed for a lawsuit and the USTA knew it. Still, strictly from a tennis standpoint, the injury couldn't have come at a worse time.
Bouchard, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January, proceeded to lose 17 of her next 22 matches as she tumbled from No. 7 in the world to No. 25 as she entered the U.S. Open.
After some mostly mental coaching from former No. 1 men's player Jimmy Connors, Bouchard put together her first three-match winning streak since the Australian Open by advancing to the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
That's when she slipped on a floor that her lawsuit contends contained a cleaning substance that was intended to stay there overnight. Bouchard fell backward and hit the back of her head and her elbow. The suit contends that room should've been locked, and Bouchard's lawyer, Benedict Morelli, says they haven't decided how much money in damages they are seeking because Bouchard still hasn't recovered.
Yahoo Sports Canada referred to a former British player, Sarah Borwell, who was hit in the back of the head with a tennis ball off a smash by American Lilia Osterloh during a doubles match at an event in 2010. According to Borwell, she doesn't believe she has fully recovered to this day.
"Borwell says it took her about a year to feel 100 percent again," Yahoo Sports Canada reported. "She continued to play, but she still didn't feel like herself. 'My short-term memory's still not great. I'm finding it a lot more difficult to remember things, and my speech," she said.
Bouchard is six weeks past her fall and still does not feel right. It's only natural to worry about whether she might've incurred any long-lasting effects. If she feels her career is in jeopardy, it's small wonder she resorted to legal action.
Bouchard's inability to turn to the tennis courts is the sport's loss but could be the lawsuit's gain.
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