Eugenie Bouchard brilliantly hits back at trolls after posing for Sports Illustrated

Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has hit back after she was criticised for posing in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit issue.

The 22-year-old is gracing the pages of the 2017 Swimsuit issue alongside fellow tennis stars Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki.

But Bouchard, who is yet to win a major in her short career so far, says she encountered a number of online trolls who told her to concentrate on tennis rather than appearing in the iconic magazine.

But ahead of the Mexican Open, she had the perfect response to her haters.

“I’ve gotten that over the last couple of years I’ve done a photo shoot anywhere it’s like ‘oh god, get back on the tennis court… what are you doing, go practice,” Bouchard told CBS Sports.

[Eugenie Bouchard goes on date after losing bet with Twitter fan]

[In pictures: Bouchard poses for Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition]

“I practised for six hours today and I did this like two hours after. I’m practising for six hours [a day] all this week, ‘what are you talking about … do you work 24 hours a day?’

“You have to deal with that hate and not take it personally. It’s been a couple of years now.”

Bouchard said she’d be silly to pass up an opportunity like Sports Illustrated.

“There’s nothing wrong if you have success and it opens doors for other activities, like being in Sports Illustrated. Why not? I would be crazy not to take advantage of that.

“Why limit yourself? I’m still a tennis player – that is my number one priority – but if I do have a bit of time, here and there, to do other things, why not?”

It caps a big couple of weeks for Bouchard, who made headlines around the world when she took a random fan on a date after losing a Twitter bet on which team would win the Super Bowl.