Eugenie Bouchard launches legal action against tennis association

Canadian tennis ace Eugenie Bouchard had to drop out of the U.S. Open after she slipped, fell and got a concussion in the ladies’ locker room following a match, she says in Federal Court.

The 21-year-old just played her mixed doubles match shortly after winning her singles match when she returned to the locker room at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Bouchard withdrew from the Wuhan Open two weeks ago due to concussion and retired midway through last week’s first-round match at the China Open, citing dizziness.

The lawsuit includes the allegation that Bouchard “was caused to slip and fall on a dangerous condition created by the defendants in the physiotherapy room attendant to the women’s locker room”. She had been scheduled to face Roberta Vinci, who went on to upset Serena Williams but lost in the final.

The lawsuit says Bouchard’s injuries “were caused solely by the reason of carelessness, negligence, wanton and willful disregard on the part of Defendant USTA”.

The suit, filed in a district court in Brooklyn, New York, claims a slippery cleaning substance on the locker room floor is what caused Bouchard to fall, and the USTA was negligent in the room’s upkeep. However, 2015 has been a difficult year, and she finds herself ranked No. 38 after previously being as high as No. 5. Representatives with the tennis association declined to comment on the lawsuit Thursday afternoon. Damages sought were not specified, but Bouchard reportedly was seeking a jury trial.

Bouchard says her world ranking has dropped 13 spots since the incident and she believes it is likely to continue to drop.