Eugenie Bouchard lost her first-round match in Luxembourg to Denisa Allertová on Monday as her 2016 season came to an end. It was a year in which she had hoped to return to a form that previously led her to deep runs at major tournaments and a career-high ranking of world no. 5 in 2014. However, it turned out to be another difficult season for the Canadian.

Bouchard’s tumble began in 2015 as she dealt with the effects of a concussion suffered at the US Open the previous season, which led to a lawsuit against the USTA. She saw her once top-10 ranking slip to world no. 48 at season’s end.

When play began this season, she showed some signs that her game might slowly be coming back. With a fresh start, she advanced to the quarterfinals at Shenzhen and the finals at Hobart in January. She entered the Australian Open with some momentum but no seeding, which allowed for a difficult matchup against Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round. The result was a straight set loss to the then world no. 4.

However, despite the loss, the 22-year old bounced back with a decent result in Doha followed by a run to the final in Kuala Lumpur. She would compete hard in Indian Wells where she defeated Sloane Stephens and battled Timea Bacsinszky before falling in a tough three-setter. But the Canadian would not sniff another quarterfinal the remainder of the season as the balance of her calendar featured uneven results and mostly early exits. The highlight of the season was likely her victory against world no. 1 Angelique Kerber in Rome. She would find her best performance in a major at Wimbledon where she advanced to the third round.

As the dust settles on her season this week, she finds herself ranked world no. 47, close to where she began the year. But with a number of players who still have an opportunity to pass her, that could change before the 2017 campaign begins. It was a season that included parting ways with coach Thomas Hogstedt, the re-hiring of Nick Saviano and an admission that her struggles on the court had contributed to her inability to eat properly. It was a year in which she faced an early exit at the Olympics, a disappointing result in her home tournament at Montreal’s Rogers Cup, and an on-court meltdown in Quebec City.

So where does she go from here? The good news is that at 22-years of age, time is on her side. She also proved that she still has the potential to fully return to form with impressive victories against Kerber and Johanna Konta during the season.  But she did not show the consistency and court savvy to accomplish deep runs at tournaments for much of the season.

Perhaps, she simply needs to solidify and find stability in her team going into 2017. With multiple coaching and personnel changes throughout the last year and a half, it could almost be expected that the Canadian would find it difficult to maintain consistency on the court. At least her results would suggest that.

Finding her confidence appears to be a key for Bouchard as well. During her run towards the top, she was mostly all business and even-keeled on the court, seldom showing outward frustration. Lately, that has not been the case as many observers have noted, when she shows negative emotions on the court, her game often follows suit. This was evident in her loss to Allertova on Monday.

But all is certainly not lost for Bouchard. Her competitive nature is strong and her desire to return towards the top have been emphasized often, despite her recent lack of success. If that desire stays strong and she can find confidence and consistency, she still has a skill set that could allow her to achieve greater success again. Perhaps it will all finally come together again in 2017.