After she shocked the tennis world and upset her way to a Canadian Open title, Vicky Mboko took some time off at home in Burlington, Ont., and then she returned to Montreal, site of that biggest win of her career, to prepare for the US Open.
As she made her way around Montreal between practice sessions, strangers regularly stopped Mboko for autographs, photos and words of congratulations, reminding her of the feat she’d just achieved there, climbing her way up world rankings to a career-best 24th after winning her first WTA title.
“Of course, after what she did in Canada, her life is going to change,” says Mboko’s coach, Nathalie Tauziat, the former world No. 3 who’s witnessed the 18-year-old become a household name in the time since they started working together back in December, when Mboko was ranked 348th in the world. “Vicky’s very nice with the people, very calm.”
That first quality Tauziat names is sure nice, but it’s the second one, the calmness, that the coach believes played a significant role in helping Mboko do what she did at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. Mboko was even-keel all week as she took down the likes of top-seeded world No. 2 Coco Gauff and then, in the final, former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka.
“I was surprised with the way she managed the first two, three rounds — she was really calm,” says Tauziat, who noted there was a feeling of “serenity” around Mboko all tournament. Taking things match-by-match, Mboko didn’t even look at the bracket to see who she’d face until she earned her next outing.
“She was really focused on what she had to do each match, and I think that was the most important thing — and I don’t know if she realized what she was doing,” Tauziat says. Until, of course, Mboko was hoisting that trophy over her head on centre court at IGA Stadium.
Mboko will lean on that same match-at-a-time approach as she makes her US Open debut. The Grand Slam’s No. 22 seed and highest-ranked Canadian, she faces a tough test in her opening match against Barbora Krejcikova, who won Wimbledon last year for her second major title.
Mboko, who turns 19 on Tuesday, comes into the US Open “not quite 100 per cent,” Tauziat says, after suffering a wrist injury in the semi-final in Montreal, though the coach adds “she’s getting better every day.”
Mboko’s appearance at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York will mark her third Grand Slam, after playing earlier this year in both the French Open, where she advanced to the third round, and Wimbledon, where she won her opening-round match. She played those tournaments back-to-back, with a couple of weeks off between, which has been her approach this season since she started climbing the ranks. “We prioritize health first, just to be ready and to be the best she can be,” Tauziat says. “We look at the schedule, and it’s important for her to play some good tournaments, but I think it’s also important for her, she’s still really young, she has the time to play more or whatever, so we try to give her some time off to go home and have time with family and friends. It helps her to give everything she has on the court.”
This season, Mboko sports an incredible 53-9 record, and as the year has gone on, Tauziat says she’s seen improvements in Mboko’s on-court movement and ability to take the ball earlier and play more aggressively. The coach also points to Mboko’s tactical strength against players she hasn’t faced before as a sign of her maturity. Still, there’s a lot of work to do. “I know she won a big tournament, but just to stay where she is, she needs to work hard. So, we’re going to continue to work on some aspects of her game to be better, and maybe to become a top-10, or top-five [player]or better,” Tauziat says.
Tauziat herself was ranked in the world’s top five and knows the most difficult part of staying there is being consistent. “And to be ready when you have the biggest tournaments — try to be the most ready you can be to play and fight,” Tauziat adds.
Fight is something sports fans saw firsthand from Mboko as she stormed through the field to win her national open, coming back from a set down in three of her matches, including the final against Osaka. For Tauziat, it wasn’t until Mboko was up 4-1 in the third set of the final that she believed Mboko was going to win it all. “Really at the end,” the coach says.
But for Mboko herself, the belief was there before she stepped on the court, because that’s the approach she takes to each match. “It’s not that something changed in her — she comes on the court to win,” Tauziat explains. “She gives her best all the time, and when it works, it’s good, and if it doesn’t, at least she’s given her best. So, I don’t think it’s a lot of pressure for her. That’s just the way she is.”
It’s certainly a good way to be for a player who enters the US Open with more eyes and expectations on her young shoulders than ever.
The night Mboko won in Montreal, Tauziat went to bed around midnight while Mboko and her family and others on her team were still celebrating the win.
“You’re going to enjoy everything, you deserve it,” Tauziat told Mboko. “Then I want to see you be ready for the US Open.”
