With her breakout performance at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, it’s no surprise that those in the tennis world are taking notice of 18-year-old sensation Victoria Mboko.
Here’s what some of them are saying about the fast-rising Canadian.
Coco Gauff (beaten by Mboko in the fourth round): “She's very athletic. She's a great ball striker, and she seems pretty positive out there on the court, doesn't get really too negative. I think she has a great support system around her, and I think that's important when you're young and on tour.”
Gauff said this about Mboko after they met in May in Rome: “I would say on the movement side athletically she's one of the best athletes on tour.”
Madison Keys (speaking after Mboko beat Gauff for a first Top 10 win): “I think a big win like that changes expectations a little bit. It definitely can add some pressure and people maybe start expecting more of you but at the same time you are also still young and there’s still lots of tennis ahead of you and there are going to be lots of ups and lots of downs.
“But it’s been really great to watch her. I think she’s a fantastic tennis player. I don’t think any of us were too surprised that she’s had the rise that she’s had.”
Bianca Andreescu on her relationship with Mboko and Mboko’s game (to the WTA in May): “I'm always rooting for Vicky. I messaged her and said, ‘Hey, if you want to talk, let me know.’ At the end of the day, we're the only ones who can relate to each other, so if we can help each other that's the main thing. But she has a very strong game style, she's very aggressive and she can play defence. She's just starting out, so she's really hungry.”
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Mboko’s quarterfinal opponent at the NBO): “I know that she's a fighter. She's put in a lot of power in her game.”
Elena Rybakina (who beat Mboko in Washington last month and plays her Wednesday in the semifinals): "She's a tough opponent. She has really good strokes, and she plays fast, and she has a really good serve. She's definitely dangerous."
Paula Badosa during her match with Mboko in Miami in March, when the no. 11 ranked Spaniard needed a third-set tiebreaker to advance: “I don’t know what I need to do. She plays better than Aryna Sabalenka.”
Mboko’s coach and 1998 Wimbledon finalist, Nathalie Tauziat, this week: “She's at the level of the best. She’s not injured, and if she works well in this routine we have, she can beat anyone.”
Guillaume Marx, Vice President of High Performance at Tennis Canada, this week: “She’s had a fantastic run. She’s going to realize, probably after the tournament, that her world is in a kind of transition. And she's going to have to deal with that, move forward, and keep improving.”
Photo: Pascal Ratthé
