“It was a manager of the IMG agency, with whom I had contacted contact with my experiences that contacted me. Not wishing to travel 35 to 40 weeks per year, it was Victoria who came to Belgium for a test in August 2023. The collaboration, she started in October of the same year “details the Namurois.
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A left knee that handicaps her
Upon her arrival, Victoria Mboko suffered from a problem with the left patellar tendon. “She alternated games and relapses, so I recommended a break of several months so that she can treat herself properly and prepare calmly.” From her recovery tournament in April 2024, on the national circuit in France, she won without pain. Cautiously, she continues, playing only on clay terre during the summer. “I had to insist with Tennis Canada, who was funding the project, convinced that his game could adapt to it. My goal was to teach him to build his points, to refine his tactical skills. And little by little, it went better and better for her.”
The North American tour of September confirms its development, with a final lost in a $ 35,000 against Iva Jovic (WTA 165), which had just crossed the 1st round at the US Open. “She played four events during this period, also reaching the semi-finals of a $ 60,000 before undergoing a new physical alert. Her level of play, however, was there: she beat several girls from the Top 200-250.”
For the former mentor of Clara Tauson, Mboko’s results are the fruit of the work undertaken in Belgium. “We took the time with Victoria, who presented a 20 % strength differential between her two legs. Without wanting to throw ourselves flowers, I think her current results are based on the basis built at the time. Unfortunately, she left the Academy last November because Tennis Canada wanted a full -time coach who could accompany her on all her tournaments, which was not possible. Some weeks, but they did not accept. “
There are physical similarities with Serena Williams, but they don’t have the same game.
If the physique of Victoria Mboko recalls Serena Williams, their game differs. “We have often reduced it to its power, but the American was a complete player, capable of variation with slices or covers and to cover the ground with her races. Victoria, she, relies on her service and seeks to conclude quickly. Her return is also very aggressive. With us, she worked a lot of defense, the opening of angles on her strikes or her movements that were perfectible because of her problems knee.”
The management of its calendar will be decisive
Passed from the 333rd world place in the 85th in the space of a few months, can Victoria Mboko reach the top of the world tennis in the long term?
“It’s always difficult to saysays Olivier Jeunehomme. Victoria has the potential for the top 100, but from there to say that it will be top 20, it’s too early. In any case, she has tennis to hurt her opponents, because she is able to make the ball very heavy, comparable to what a man can develop. But the big question remains his physique. His body has already been put to the test, by dint of playing injured. I observe that, for the moment, his entourage let her blow between two tournaments. The management of its calendar will be a key element. “
Tennis Canada officials are aware of this. “They know that they must protect her, because no other girl of her generation has her level.”
Losing such a diamond would therefore be a disaster for the future of female tennis in the country.
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