Genie Bouchard's struggles with pressure and food make headlines as the spotlight once again shines upon her

PARIS – In the middle of a huge pocket of television cameras, players and journalists Tuesday afternoon at Roland Garros, Genie Bouchard smiled and said, “This is FUN!”

The 22-year-old was in her element, in demand for a long list of one-on-one interviews after her main press conference.

She ticked them off, one after the other, unable to wipe the smile off her face as she tackled various topics, notably the Toronto Raptors’ survival in the NBA playoffs.

The vast majority of the interest, of course, was directly related to the fact that Bouchard had won a match at the French Open, a surprisingly straightforward 6-2, 6-2 victory over an in-form German player named Laura Siegemund.

A year ago, she didn’t make it out of the first round.

One major topic during the press conference was about Bouchard’s noticeable weight loss last year, as she struggled with the stress of living up to expectations in the wake of her rise to No. 5 in the world in 2014

For the rest of the day, the tennis headlines on websites around the world blasted the news: “Bouchard overcomes eating disorder.”

 After getting through the line of television cameras, Bouchard headed up to the studios of the Tennis Channel, which is broadcasting the event in the U.S. (some of which appears on TSN). There, she went through the whole thing in detail once again.

Many outlets stated she was revealing this “news” for the first time on Tuesday. In truth, this was hardly a new revelation.

Bouchard discussed it more than two weeks ago during the big tournament in Rome, as published on the WTA Tour’s website. Eh Game chronicled it last weekend, and she spoke about it in an interview with TSN.

The weight loss was obvious to everyone last year; in person, it was far more noticeable than it was on television. But she wasn’t ready to talk about it then.

Bouchard seemed eager enough now to discuss it with anyone who asks, but it should be pointed out that never did she say she had an eating disorder. She called it a “struggle”, and a “difficulty,” but never that.

For much of 2016, Bouchard has been under the radar. Slowly but surely, she has begun winning some matches and turning things around. She has repeatedly said that she embraces being the underdog.

It’s easy to understand why: the underdog has no pressure.

Given her struggles handling that pressure a year ago, it has probably felt pretty good the last few months to be relatively free of it beyond, of course, the extreme pressure she puts on herself.

But here’s the thing: Bouchard really likes the attention. She likes being successful, and she worked hard to be. She lights up when the television cameras are focused on her.

There’s nothing wrong with that – quite the contrary, because it's part of the job and the athletes who embrace it are much appreciated – but it can be a pretty addictive drug and if she continues to climb back up the tennis hill, all of that will come back at lightning speed.

It was patently obvious on Tuesday that the media is just waiting for a reason to climb back aboard the Genie Express. Add a great comeback story to the mix and that just makes the material even better.

All Bouchard did was win a first-round match – and it was just as it was a year ago when her star first exploded.

But as the attention increases, the pressure and the scrutiny will worm their way back into the picture – sneaky little devils, they are.

As it was, some of those who heard her comment during the Tennis Channel interview that it was “hilarious” that she was scheduled for Court 16 Tuesday – a small, obscure court at the back of the Roland Garros complex – quickly took to social media to express their disdain at Bouchard’s perceived “arrogance.”

The unconditional love she continues to receive from her devoted fans has always been balanced out with some rather over-the-top criticism.  She has been a polarizing figure ever since the WTA’s agenda pushed her hard as the tour’s new golden girl.

And when you look at it, there hasn’t been anyone in the intervening year to take her place – not Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber. Not Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza. No one has come close to capturing the fans’ imagination and set the building blocks for fame and fortune beyond the tiny little tennis bubble.

But just as her fans are looking for any sign of her return to prominence, the haters are looking equally hard for anything to criticize.

It’s crazy to say it, but “struggling Genie” has been a lot more likeable, at least in her public persona, then “Wimbledon finalist Genie”. A little humility has gone a long way. As well, she has clearly been much more relaxed, less wary and on her guard.

A year ago, she robotically repeated that she “expected herself to do well,” and that it “was her job.” Looking back now, she said she realizes how amazing those results really were.

If Bouchard does get her ranking back up to where she once again is in the conversation with the top players in the women’s game, and there’s no doubt there’s plenty of room at the top right now, the same stresses that took their toll on her a year ago will return.

The question will be whether she’s ready to handle it this time around.

“It’s something I managed to get through, and I learned a lot. “Now I feel prepared,” she told Tennis Channel. “Hopefully I’m in that position again, where I’m expected to do well, and I’ll know how to deal with the stress and the nerves.”

Bouchard said Tuesday (and this part seemed to get lost in the “eating disorder” headlines) that she had consulted with a sports psychologist. Hopefully that’s an ongoing process; it’s a fragile truce, the one she currently has negotiated with fame and expectations.

Any efforts to strengthen the foundation on which her confidence and self-esteem – and her game – depend are a good thing.