She is one of the brightest young talents in tennis, but Victoria Mboko still needs to aim higher. Fortunately, she has the guidance of former French player Nathalie Tauziat, who knows exactly where her path should lead.
“Victoria did something incredible by winning in Montreal, and now we have to set even bigger objectives. She is top 20 in the world, but she needs to improve her game further,” Tauziat told CLAY in an interview also published by RG Media.
Since the start of the season, the eight-time WTA champion and former world No. 3 has been coaching one of the most promising players on the women’s tour.
One of the areas that most concerns the 1998 Wimbledon finalist looking ahead is making the most of the Canadian’s physical potential. Mboko, who has Congolese heritage, stunned the tennis world last August by winning the WTA 1000 in Montreal: “She needs to get better physically.”
Tauziat also shared lesser-known details about the recent WTA 250 Hong Kong champion, analized the modern pressures athletes face in the age of social media, and reflected on how today’s tennis differs from her era: “The girls don’t play so smart sometimes.”
Interview with Nathalie Tauziat
– The title in Montreal was surprising. Have you noticed any change in Victoria?
– No, absolutely not. The tournament in Canada is always important, and we knew she was going to get a wild card. Doing well there was one of the goals for this year, and she did way more than we expected. We were really happy. The key was thinking only about the next match, about what comes next, and she did what she did.
– I guess you weren’t expecting it…
– Yes. 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.” 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.
– Where do you feel Victoria has the most room for improvement?
– Well, 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.
– Speaking to coaches, they often say that a player’s greatest talent is the ability to quickly absorb instructions and apply them on the court. How is Victoria in that regard?
– She listens, which is really important. For Victoria, it’s vital that she actually feels that something is good for her, for her game. When it’s like that, she has no problem delivering.
– What is she like as a person?
– 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.
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– What are you most proud of having achieved with her so far in terms of game or mentality?
– 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.
– Compared to the time when you played, how have the games and the players changed?
– The girls are better physically than before and they hit the ball stronger, but I don’t think they play so smart sometimes, that’s the change in my opinion. The circuit as a whole is more difficult compared to before — more tournaments, longer tournaments… It’s different.
– How do you feel you would fare against the players today?
– On my best, I don’t think they would like to play against me, because I was playing serve-and-volley, and you don’t see that often nowadays. Maybe it would disturb them.
– You’ve mentioned longer seasons, and mental burnout in players has been a topic for some time now. How do you protect Victoria from that?
– Just come up with the right schedule. She’s still young, she just turned 19, so it’s tough for her to play every week. We need to manage the schedule and give her time to recover properly. It’s going to be easier now with the ranking she has because she is going to get in every tournament. We need to be smart.
– How do you feel Victoria will deal with additional pressure having won such a big title?
– I just tell her that every tournament is a new story. Yes, keep in mind what you’ve done before, but forget it a little bit. You start from zero at the US Open after you won in Canada, you have to win the first match.
– How do you think social media has changed the perspective for the players? Is it harder on them?
– Of course. In my time, we didn’t have this. They’re used to it, though, these kids were born with it, but it’s up to parents and the players’ entourage to make sure that the whole social media thing doesn’t go too far.
– Almost all the players have to deal with online threats…
– The people who do that have nothing better to do in their lives, that’s what players need to understand — these people have no brain! It’s a bad thing, it’s good that people speak openly about it, but there is not much you can do, so it’s better not to get caught up in it all.
– There is one huge rivalry in men’s tennis with Alcaraz and Sinner, whereas in women’s tennis there are more equal candidates to win the biggest titles. Do you see that as an advantage or a disadvantage for women’s tennis?
– The stadium was completely full for the Montreal final, people really enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s a disadvantage. People don’t know who is going to win… But on the men’s side you don’t know too.
– Out of the current players on the WTA, who do you admire the most?
– I like the mentality of Coco Gauff. She is a fighter on the court. I saw her final at the French Open, she played really intelligently. I don’t know Emma Navarro personally, but I like her game — she can do everything. Also, Jasmine Paolini, I like her temper. I enjoy watching a lot of players.
If you enjoyed this interview with Nathalie Tauziat, Victoria Mboko’ s coach, don’t miss many other interviews with the stars of the tour — available at this link to our website.
