Lois Boisson gets a warning from respected coach after French Open heroics
Lois Boisson provided one of the big stories of this year’s French Open with her remarkable run to the semi-finals, but now she is set to deal with a new reality.
That’s the warning from coaching giant Patrick Mouratoglou, who believes the French star will feel a weight of expectations the next time she steps on court.
Eventual champion Coco Gauff beat Boisson in Paris, but her run fired her into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings and she will now be a player under the spotlight when she takes to the court.
That new status has inspired Naomi Osaka’s coach Mouratoglou to suggest Boisson faces a big test of her character as she looks to adapt to life in the bigger WTA Tour events.
Just two weeks ago, she was ranked No. 361 in the world and known only by a few,” began Mouratoglou in a post on LinkedIn.
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“Today, she’s the new French No.1, sitting inside the Top 70, and coming off one of the most remarkable Grand Slam runs we’ve seen in years.
“A torn ACL just last year. A wild card. Her very first WTA main-draw match. Her very first Grand Slam.
“And still, she reached the semifinals of Roland Garros, defeating top 10 players like Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva, and becoming the first wild card in history to go this far in Paris, but this was no fluke, and certainly not a case of her opponents collapsing.
“Lois has rare weapons for women’s tennis. Her heavy topspin forehand is unique and extremely effective on clay.
“She’s tactically brilliant, and against Pegula, there’s no other reason why she won. She stayed emotionally composed when her opponents couldn’t. In her two biggest wins, she was the most stable player on court. That made the difference.
“Now comes the real challenge. She’s no longer the outsider. The underdog. The hidden gem.”
Mouratoglou, who coached Serena Williams during some of her best years, suggests the new spotlight shining on Boisson will test her mental strength as she aims to continue her rise up the rankings.
“Epectations will rise, fast. Every result will be watched,” he added.
“Every loss questioned. Every win demanded. And that’s the hardest part for any player. Not what happens on the court, but what happens all around it.
“The noise, the pressure, the attention. You can’t control any of it. So the only way forward… is to focus entirely on what you can control. Your game development. Your training. Your mindset.
“There will be ups and downs, that’s part of any journey, but she has what many French players sometimes lack: real ambition and real self-belief.
“She now has the ranking to access the biggest stages. A Wimbledon wild card might come. But no matter what, she’s already living her dream.
“And for all of us who love this sport, we can’t wait to see what’s next.”
Boisson moved 296 places up the WTA Rankings after her French Open run and she is now likely to be handed wild cards into some higher ranking WTA Tour events.
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