Bouchard to return to Hobart tennis event

Canadian world No.82 Eugenie Bouchard will return to the Hobart International in the lead up the Australian Open.

Eugenie Bouchard was the runner-up at the 2016 Hobart International. (AAP)

Former world No.5 Eugenie Bouchard has been handed a Hobart International wildcard as she looks to move on from her dismal 2017 campaign.

The world No.82 will contest the Australian Open lead-up tournament in January after she represents Canada at the Hopman Cup.

Bouchard joins top-40 players Elise Mertens, Alize Cornet, Shuai Zhang and Sorana Cirstea in Hobart, where she lost to Cornet in the final last year.

Bouchard began the year ranked 46th before a string of poor results, having not won a WTA match since August.

She reached the Australian Open semi-finals in 2014.