text: Having gone all the way to last year’s Wimbledon final Eugenie Bouchard has shown she knows how to handle etiquette, including the anachronistic task of having to curtsey. Yet something as straightforward as a sporting handshake at a low-key draw ceremony, before representing Canada in a Fed Cup match at the weekend, seems to be beyond her. Her refusal to shake hands with Romanian opponent Alexandra Dulgheru turned out to be the precursor of a dreadful few days for the world no 7. It beings to symbolise a season fast unravelling for last year’s shooting star of the women’s game. Eugenie Bouchard was mocked at home and abroad over the handshake controversy . Bouchard refused to shake the hand of Alexandra Dulgheru before Fed Cup match at the weekend . Bouchard ended up suffering not just the humiliation of losing to far lesser ranked opponents in front of her hometown crowd in Montreal, but of being mocked by the opposing Romanian team after they had inflicted defeat. Moreover, having previously been able to do little wrong in the eyes of her compatriots, she brought upon herself the scorn of fair-minded Canadians in the media, social and otherwise. Even Romania’s world number three Simona Halep, a shy and retiring type, weighed in by casting aspersions about the kind of upbringing Bouchard has had. Bouchard explained away her graceless act as merely being true to herself, but the truth is that such brattish behaviour is neither principled nor smart. She would be well-advised to avoid this sort of bravado until she starts winning again. It is not the first time that Bouchard has declined the traditional shake of hands that takes place at the draw prior to matches in the Fed Cup, the women’s incomprehensible equivalent of the Davis Cup. She did the same last year to Slovakia’s Kristina Kucova in front of the cameras which have, again, spread the footage all over the internet. The 21-year-old Canadian broke into the world's top 10 after a superb 2014 . She lost both her singles matches to world No 69 Dulgheru and Andreea Mitu, ranked 104th . Romania's Dulgheru said the handshake snub had given her extra motivation for the match . “It wasn’t personal, I just don’t believe in wishing my opponent good luck before a match,” said Bouchard this time. Already bereft of confidence, she set herself up for a fall which duly came, losing both her singles to players ranked 69 and 104. After Dulgheru beat her in straight sets she celebrated with her team-mates by theatrically pulling away her hand before it could be shaken. Dugheru said afterwards the incident had added to her motivation and gleefully declared that it was ‘nothing personal’. The watching Halep told Romanian reporters : “I would never have done it but this is how she (Bouchard) is raised or it’s a habit.” A superb 2014 saw Bouchard fly into the top ten at a rate few expected, the highlight being her run to the final of SW19. But by the same token this was never likely to be an easy year for the Canadian. A sympathetic view would be that the pressure of backing up two Grand Slam semis and a final is enormous, and that it is clearly starting tell. Bouchard reached last year’s Wimbledon final, where she lost to Petra Kvitova . There is also a sneaking admiration for the way she refuses to get involved in the sometimes phoney mateyness that permeates the men’s locker room. Not for Bouchard the guff that she is ‘pleased’ for her opponents when they do well. She happily declares with a smile that is half-angelic, half-steely that she is not interested in being friends with her rivals. That is just one reason she is often compared to Maria Sharapova. At times she appears to take the Russian ice queen as her ultimate role model but whether she can ever be technically as good as her is much more open to question. After making a decent start to this year by reaching the quarter finals of the Australian Open Bouchard has now lost six matches out of eight and five straight. While going down to Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tusrenko at Indian Wells from 4-1 she was in tears. She also struggled to control her emotions later in March at Miami, when losing to world number 113 Tatjana Maria, whose main claim to fame is that she is the highest ranked mother on the tour. Bouchard has enjoyed success off the court with her model looks . Bouchard has often been compared to Russian ice queen Maria Sharapova . Bouchard made a couple of big decisions in December that may have added to the pressure. She curiously failed to renew her agreement with respected veteran American coach Nick Saviano that had worked so well, with one source suggesting he became aggrieved by her side’s high handed negotiating stance. She is now with Sam Sumyk, former coach of Sharapova’s fellow shrieker and ex world number one Victoria Azarenka. After eight years Bouchard also switched management companies to WME/IMG, which has offered her the chance to work with the IMG Models division and take commercial advantage of the looks she is so blessed with. Bouchard also has a strong work ethic, and has shown herself to be ruthless, intelligent and articulate (more shades of Sharapova). Her emergence has undoubtedly boosted the women’s game and at 21 everyone makes mistakes. After this weekend a period concentrating on avoiding them, and focussing on repairs to her tennis game would seem a wise move.
target: Eugenie Bouchard refused to shake hands with rival Alexandra Dulgheru .
  Controversy sparked a dreadful few days for last year's Wimbledon finalist .
  Bouchard suffered two humiliating defeats in front of her hometown crowd .