'I want to win a Grand Slam': Mboko already has the endgame in mind

PARIS -- Victoria Mboko arrived at Roland Garros fresh off the best clay week of her career -- and sounding increasingly comfortable with the idea that bigger moments may be arriving faster than expected.

She spent the last few weeks playing catch-up. Wisdom teeth surgery delayed the start of her spring. Then, just as she prepared for Rome, illness forced her out before her opening match.

Now?

“I want to win a Grand Slam,” Mboko said Monday ahead of her first-round match.

Because why not? She is, after all, No. 9 in the PIF WTA Rankings, sitting on a 22-8 record and coming off a breakthrough week in Strasbourg.

“I didn't think that I'd be able to win so many matches and reach the finals,” Mboko said of her performance this past week. “I would not have believed that I would have reached the finals for a clay tournament.”

While she is still navigating the steeper learning curve of the Grand Slam stage, that run in Strasbourg signals a shift in her trajectory. Though she arrives in Paris with only four previous major appearances, her  fourth-round showing in Australia this past January suggests she is already comfortable operating on the sport’s biggest platforms.

Despite the rapid climb, Mboko is still figuring out the basics. She admits her clay game is a work in progress, especially when it comes to movement and sliding.

“I wouldn't say I'm super comfortable on it,” Mboko said. “It's, I guess, your athlete instincts that just help you get through it.”

New tournament, new coach

As reported last week, Mboko is now working with Wim Fissette. 

Fissette has coached an all-star lineup of WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz stars, including Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, Naomi Osaka and, most recently, Iga Swiątek.

It is a significant hire for a 19-year-old who has muscled her way into the Top 10 in under a year. Fissette’s time with Swiątek ended in March, but his ability to manufacture major champions remains the gold standard on the circuit. 

For Mboko, who has already won titles in Montreal and Hong Kong, the partnership is a clear signal that she expects to be a factor deep in these events.

“If I work with someone that has that kind of experience and has brought many top players to the best Grand Slams, then that can only be positive for me,” Mboko said.

Mboko kicks off her Roland Garros campaign Tuesday against Nikola Bartunkova.