Eugenie Bouchard is the highest ranked Canadian female in the world, and though that's not as high of a ranking as it used to be, she'll have everyone's eyes on her in Toronto. And she knows it.
The 23-year-old has played in front of home crowds at the Rogers Cup nine times (six times in the main draw), and her record is 4-9. It hasn't been easy for her to raise her level with so much pressure on her shoulders.
"I've slowly learned over the years how to deal with it better and better," Bouchard said last month. "And just really try to not see it as pressure, but kind of just enjoy the moment, and the attention the fans give me because they don't see me play live ever except for this one time a year."
Her best run at the Rogers Cup came last year in reaching the third round, but it's been the site of more bad losses than any decent wins.
"I want to try to see it in a positive way as a special time and try to show my skill level and how well I can play," Bouchard said. "I don't really want to think about the pressure that much. It's more of just making the most of it for myself and the fans."
She's certainly got a lot of fans.