Genie Bouchard Brought the Energy to Turks and Caicos for Her SI Swimsuit Debut

The Canadian tennis player stunned in vibrant neon swimwear in the tropical destination.

Genie Bouchard was photographed by Emmanuelle Hauguel in Turks and Caicos / Emmanuelle Hauguel/Sports Illustrated

Posing for the 2017 SI Swimsuit Issue was a novel experience for Canadian professional tennis player Genie Bouchard.

After years of professional tennis, she was used to the spotlight. But posing in front of Emmanuelle Hauguel’s camera lens on the beaches of Turks and Caicos was a different kind of experience. It was an opportunity that made her feel “very excited” at the same time that she was “nervous,” she said at the time. “[My] first thought was ... ‘How am I gonna do it?’”

She took it in stride, though. Dressed in neon bikinis and bright one-pieces, the athlete danced around the beaches of the tropical destination. Bouchard’s bubbly personality came through in each and every photo, and particularly in those where she posed with various props—a rainbow-colored umbrella and a giant inflatable, for example.

Bouchard was certainly a natural when it came to posing for the camera. But some of her success could be attributed to her practice beforehand. Ahead of the trip, the tennis player admitted that she practiced some of her poses while at home. In other words, she got “into the mentality” of posing in chic swimwear on the beach ahead of time, she explained.

It wasn’t her only appearance in the SI Swimsuit Issue. Bouchard returned to the pages the following year for her second consecutive feature. And while we love both, we have a special regard for her bright and shining debut in Turks and Caicos. Here are some of her stunning photos.

Emmanuelle Hauguel/Sports Illustrated

Emmanuelle Hauguel/Sports Illustrated

Emmanuelle Hauguel/Sports Illustrated