When Genie’s hair let her down: Bouchard reveals how 2016 undercut cost her Rolex sponsorship deal

Eugenie Bouchard’s haircut in 2016. Pics/Eugenie’s Instagram

Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie ‘Genie' Bouchard has revealed how a bold haircut back in 2016 scuppered a new sponsorship deal with Swiss watchmaker Rolex.

The Canadian, 32, who retired from tennis last year, said on the US podcast OK Sweetie that she was struggling with her mental health from 2015 onwards - less than a year after losing the 2014 Wimbledon final to Petra Kvitova. She allegedly became rebellious and that led to her making a bold fashion statement after the 2016 Australian Open, where she decided to get an undercut hairstyle, which went awry. "I wanted a very small undercut. I don't know what happened, but literally half my head [was shaved off]. It was way worse than I intended, and it caused me to lose my Rolex deal," revealed Bouchard, who added that the watch brand emailed her agent saying "This doesn't align with our brand," and declined to extend their deal with her.