Victoria Mboko has already given tennis fans a glimpse of the unlimited potential she possesses.
The 18-year-old star has enjoyed a breakout tournament at the Canadian Open this week, defeating Coco Gauff on her way to the semi-final stage.
Mboko was simply imperious in her quarter-final match against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, winning 6-4 6-2 against the Spaniard.
The Canadian is a player for the present and the future, and while an abundance of young WTA stars have emerged in the last 12 months, it may be that none of them possess the same level of innate talent as Victoria Mboko.
Nathalie Tauziat, Victoria Mboko’s coach, weighed in on her player’s position among the crop of rising stars on the WTA Tour.
Nathalie Tauziat says ‘not a lot of players have a good serve’
Speaking to reporters ahead of Victoria Mboko’s semi-final match against Elena Rybakina, Nathalie Tauziat spoke about a strength of the Canadian’s which many players do not possess.
A reporter asked: “What is it in Victoria’s game that separates her from the other rising players on the tour?”
Tauziat replied: “I think she believes in herself. I think also she have the power maybe more. She have a very good serve. Not a lot of players have a good serve. She like to learn. She like to improve. So I think it’s important.
“I don’t know what is exactly her goal, but so far every time she enter the court, it’s for win. That’s important.”
The French former professional player was then asked about Mboko’s future and the possibility of her sustaining a high level of play throughout the course of her career.
Tauziat responded: It’s complicated to say because right now, of course, her standing is going to change, with the players first. After, as I say, some players who rise very high level young, sometimes they lost the priority.
“So what is going to be very important for Vicky is to keep the priority of tennis first over many thing around. I think it would be very important for her to stay, and some players doesn’t do that.
“You can go up, but if you’re not continue to progress and work hard, I mean, you can go down very quickly.”
Victoria Mboko’s serve compared to other young stars
When you compare Victoria Mboko’s serve to her peers, it is clear that the Canadian has one of the strongest serves among the new generation of players.
Over her last five matches, Mboko is averaging 7.4 aces per match. Her nearest competitor is Mirra Andreeva, who has served 2.8 in the same amount of matches.
Of the four players, Mboko has won a greater percentage of her first and second serve points, while falling 0.1 percent behind Alexandra Eala in the category of first serves made.
Mboko has two areas of her serve that require work. Her second serve percentage has been the lowest of the four players over the last five matches, and she has served the second most double faults per match, behind Maya Joint.
However, Nathalie Tauziat is correct in her statement: Mboko does have a very good serve, even if there are statistical areas she can improve upon.
