Genie Bouchard on Returning for a Second Year of SI Swimsuit and Her Viral Super Bowl Date
Genie Bouchard is officially an SI Swimsuit veteran! The Canadian tennis star makes her second consecutive SI Swimsuit appearance in 2018. We caught up with Genie to get her take on coming back for a second year, that viral Super Bowl date, and which male tennis player she'd like to see pose in a swimsuit.
On shooting for SI Swimsuit a second time: "It was definitely easier! I was much less nervous this time around. I felt I had experience from my first SI shoot which helped me for this second one. I actually asked MJ to 'go for it' more in this shoot because I felt so comfortable."
James Macari
On her 2017 SI Swimsuit spread: "I had no idea what the photos would look like, so the night before they came out I barely slept because I was so anxious! I find it weird to comment on pictures of myself in a bikini, but I think they were pretty good. My favorite had to be the green one-piece. The back of that bathing suit was just...amazing."
On the reaction to her shoot: "I hadn't told anyone I was going to be in SI Swimsuit (literally three people knew I did the shoot) so the first reaction from my friends and family was just complete shock! They had no idea! Everyone was so supportive and thought the pics looked great. And proud that I could crossover and achieve something so big like this outside of the tennis world. As for my fans -- they went completely nuts. They had never seen me in a shoot like this before so I think they were really happy."
James Macari
On posing in a teeny bikini: "At the beginning of the shoot, it's always hard — wearing almost nothing definitely makes you feel self-conscious. But the photographer was amazing; he was so nice and supportive — he made me feel comfortable right away. I realized I was there for a reason, and this gave me the confidence to be free and also have fun during the shoot!"
James Macari
On her famous Super Bowl date: "It is the craziest thing ever! It started with pure luck and exploded into this unbelievable story. I'm amazed at how much people love this story, and I'm so happy I followed through on the bet! John is a cool guy, and the NFL invited us to the Super Bowl this year, which is insane. We get to go back to where it all started... I'm sure John never expected all of this to happen with one simple tweet. Just shows that anything can happen if you shoot your shot and go for it in life."
On which male tennis players she'd most like to see post in a swimsuit: "Definitely Rafa [Nadal]. I would also have to say Roger [Federer]. Who wouldn't want to see the two best tennis players of all time wearing next to nothing?!"
See all of Genie's incredible photos from SI Swimsuit 2018:
