Ever wonder what became of Genie Bouchard and her unexpected romance with a Twitter follower after a bet?
Back in 2017, Bouchard was not only dominating the tennis court but also gaining fame as a social media star. During the Super Bowl that year, Bouchard was so confident in the Atlanta Falcons’ ability to hold on to their 25-point lead in the third quarter against the New England Patriots that she began celebrating early.
Enter John Goehrke, a 20-year-old student from Chicago who saw an opportunity. He boldly tweeted a proposition to Bouchard: if the Patriots made a miraculous comeback, she would go on a date with him.
if patriots win we go on a date?
— TW1 (@punslayintwoods) February 6, 2017
True to her word, Bouchard took Goehrke on a high-profile date to a Brooklyn Nets game, where they sat courtside for all to see. But the story didn’t end there. The pair kept in touch and met up a few more times, even attending the following Super Bowl together, which sparked rumours of a storybook romance.
Recently, Bouchard (ranked 517th in the world in singles) appeared on the Nothing Major podcast, where she shared what eventually happened between her and her unlikely companion.
“We went on our date and hung out a few more times. I won’t go into detail about what actually happened,” the 30-year-old said.
@nothingmajorpod Did @Genie get friendzoned? 💀 #Tennis #TennisPlayer #TennisLife #TennisPodcast ♬ original sound – NothingMajorPod
And believe it or not, Goehrke was the one to cut ties with the tennis-star-turned-pickleball-pro.
“At one point, he got a girlfriend and wouldn’t keep in touch with me anymore,” Bouchard revealed. “I was like, ‘I put you on the map, bro!’ The least you can do is be my friend.”
While the Montreal native was left high and dry, for a moment there, as the host of the podcast remarked, the whole thing sounded like the plot of a Hallmark movie waiting to happen.
“It is,” Bouchard joked. “A producer and a writer even approached me about it. It gave people hope that these things can actually work. And you know what? Maybe they can.”