Victoria Mboko’s coach gives insight into ‘nice, calm’ rising star’s personality
Victoria Mboko’s feet remain firmly on the ground despite a trailblazing season that saw her win a WTA 1000 title and break into the top 20 of the rankings with her coach Nathalie Tauziat admitting that they “need to set even bigger objectives”.
The Canadian made her WTA Tour singles debut as a 15-year-old in August 2022, but she had to wait another three years to claim her maiden win as that arrived at this year’s Miami Open.
That was only the start of things to come as she made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open, reaching the third round while she also made it to the second round of Wimbledon, before her big moment arrived at the Canadian Open.
After receiving a wildcard entry into her home event, Mboko upset big-name player after big-name player as she beat major champions Sofia Kenin and Coco Gauff, who was the top seed, to reach the quarter-final.
The teenager then got the better of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro before seeing off 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina in the semi-final to reach her first top-level final.
In the showpiece match, she came from a set down to defeat former world No 1 and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, becoming the second wildcard after the great Monica Seles to win the Canadian Open.
Tauziat was always confident Mboko would reach the top, but the speed of her progress stunned the former world No 3.
“If someone had told me she was going to win a big tournament like this at the beginning of the year, I would’ve probably said: ‘Listen, we have to go step by step,” the Frenchwoman told Claytennis and RG Media.
“But she did this amazing thing, and now we need to set even bigger objectives, for sure. She is top 20 in the world, but she needs to improve her game further.”
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The 1998 Wimbledon runner-up added: “She has to work on many aspects — serve, forehand, backhand, same things as usual, we have to improve her game as a whole. Also, she needs to get better physically, small details when it comes to movement. We’ve got time.”
Rise Up The Rankings
Mboko was ranked outside the top 300 at the start of the season, but she broke into the top 200 on the back of winning five WTA Challenger titles between January and March.
Her run to the third round of the French Open gave her another rankings boost as she cracked the top 100 and not long after she surged into the top 30 on the back of her Canadian Open fairytale.
The 19-year-old has since climbed to career-high No 18 with her latest jump coming after she won her second title over the weekend at the Hong Kong Open, securing the Canadian year-end No 1 ranking in the process.
Despite the success, she remains eager to learn.
Asked what she is like as a person, Tauziat replied: “Nice person, very calm, I would say. Victoria keeps her feet firmly on the ground. She enjoys what she does, but does it at her own pace. Really serene.
The 58-year-old added: “I think she has learned to be more patient, not to hit the ball for the sake of just hitting the ball. She improved tactically, now she’s waiting for the right ball to attack, she understands not to hit the ball so hard when she is not well-positioned. Just put it in deep, long and wait for the right chance.
“She wants to be aggressive, that’s her natural game and we won’t change it. Just a little bit more control.”
