Genie Bouchard is anticipating an emotional moment when she takes the court in her hometown of Montreal and competes in the final tournament of her tennis career.

"I hope it will be special," the 31-year-old told TSN. "I know it will be. I hope people come out. I hope to just really enjoy it."

Bouchard announced last week that she will retire following the National Bank Open. Tennis Canada awarded Bouchard a wildcard into the main draw of the 1,000-level event and is preparing an on-court ceremony for after her final match.

"I was quite stressed about the whole thing," said Bouchard, who became Canada's first Grand Slam singles finalist at Wimbledon in 2014. "I actually told myself, I said, 'I wish I could just fast forward to August and just get through this and then move on.' But then as soon as I announced it, I just felt so much love and support. I just saw so much positivity about me and my career. I felt recognized for my hard work and really seen and understood and that made me feel so appreciated."

Bouchard will play her first-round match on Sunday or Monday.

The response to the retirement announcement caught Bouchard off guard. With 2.3 million Instagram followers and 1.5 million on X, Bouchard is used to dealing with keyboard critics and trolls on social media.

"What surprised me was the positivity I saw online," the former World No. 5 said. "Obviously, being a little bit of a polarizing figure, some would say, I've had my fair share of positive stuff online and negative as well. I just saw mostly positive stuff. All the articles and the comments and the reposts, some from personal friends, some just from news outlets and other sources, were really just appreciating my career.

“I don't know, I've been so beaten down with all the negativity that I was a little bit surprised and taken aback that, okay, people do understand how hard it is. They appreciate the hard work I've done. Whatever I've achieved, they recognize that it's hard to do."

After being named the WTA's newcomer of the year in 2013, Bouchard ascended to superstar status in 2014. She reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and French Open before making the Wimbledon final. She also reached the fourth round at the US Open. No player on tour won more major matches that season than the 20-year-old Canadian. Bouchard also picked up her one and only WTA title in Nuremberg, Germany that season.

Bouchard's popularity soared and her legion of loyal supporters became known as Genie's Army.

"I love being able to say that I was a part of helping Canadian tennis," Bouchard said........

© TSN