Eugenie Bouchard sets pulses racing as she rakes her yard in tiny bikini... days after claiming her 'sex appeal' is good for tennis

Eugenie Bouchard claimed earlier this month that her 'sex appeal' is good for tennis - and she has continued to use it with a scorching new post on social media.

The former Wimbledon finalist, 30, took to Instagram on Sunday to share some photos from her 'yard work' in the rain at home in Miami.

But rather than donning clothes like most would, the tennis and pickleball star opted for a green bikini - and nothing else.

In a series of photos and videos, Bouchard can be seen raking leaves from her property, before cooling off with an outdoor shower.

The raunchy post led to mixed reviews, with many of her fans loving the images and one remarking: 'This photo shoot is better than anything @si_swimsuit has put together in the past few years tbh.'

Elsewhere though, others slammed her for the 'thirst trap' and one added: 'I love you but this is cringeworthy.' 

The post came just days after Bouchard had given insight on how sex appeal helped her become more than an athlete during her career.

'Tennis, first of all, is a great sport for that sex appeal side,' Bouchard shared in an interview with YouTuber Valeria Lipovetsky. 'We're wearing short skirts, we're wearing tank tops. 

'It's fun to turn on the TV and watch that. Right away I was able to get great marketing deals off the court. Being asked to be in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition a few times.

'Exploring that path was definitely on my to-do list. It's definitely part of who I am because I think it's great.' 

Bouchard's tennis career has been marred by injuries since she arrived on the scene in 2014. At 20 years old, she appeared in the Wimbledon final but lost out on a Grand Slam title to Serena Williams. 

However, Bouchard opened up on how modeling helped her transcend just being a sports star. She also argued that her non-tennis endeavors helped expand her fanbase and bring more eyes to the game. 

'Why keep myself in a box? Why not try to become bigger, or better, or transcend tennis, or explore other fields?,' she said. 'Tennis is the only thing I know, but it can't be the only thing I'll ever do in my life. 

'So I found it very interesting to be in the magazines or do fashion stuff and see that I really enjoyed these things as well.'

'[It's] just increasing my fan base, my audience, which in turn helps me get better brand deals, better endorsements,' she added. 

'Not just in a personal way for me, "OK I can actually make more money out of this", but in a general sense, "OK we have someone who is maybe a casual fan who is going to come to the Miami Open to watch me play."

'That's good for tennis in general, for female tennis, for women's sports, that's good for everything.'

The former No 5 player in the world has taken up pickleball in recent years but insisted that her tennis career is not over in an interview with ESPN in January. 

Bouchard's last tour-level appearance was at the Guadalajara Open in September. Unfortunately, her tournament run ended in the Round of 32 when she was eliminated by Veronika Kudermetova.