If the French men and women have deserted the main draw of Roland-Garros for several days, a Tricolor continues to shine on the Parisian clay in the person of the young Moïse Kouamé. Among the juniors, the teenager, only 15 years old, is the youngest to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam since 1985 and the Argentinian Franco Davin.
However, the Frenchman starts from afar. Only 147th in the world, he received an invitation to join the tournament and be able to demonstrate the extent of his talent. The fault, in part, is a sluggish first half of 2024. After a junior title in Chandigarth in India, only two quarter-finals and defeats in the first rounds have dotted his career.
Yannick Noah, a driving force
So, seeing him dismiss the Romanian Luca Preda (6-3, 0-6, 6-4), 5th in the world, then the Moroccan hope Reda Bennani (7-5, 6-3), 17th in the world, is a surprise for observers but not for the main person concerned who, despite his young age, seems to have great self-confidence. “I work hard and I give my all to be at the same level, or even higher, than Yannick Noah. I’m working really hard for this, don’t worry and I hope one day I’ll be at the top of the bill.”he declared in the mixed zone.
On the court, his qualities are already evident. The one who started tennis at 5 years old under the leadership of his brother Michael already has a complete game in his baggage with a good serve, a big forehand, a reliable backhand but also good skills at the net. “There is not a moment where we say to ourselves: “Wow, we’re going to have to really work”. On the contrary, he has all the assets and he hits the ball hard, he finds some great areas which prove that he has a certain tactical knowledge”analysis in 20 minutes Bruce Liaud, his former coach at Creps de Poitiers.
Formerly because Moïse Kouamé decided to leave the fold of the French Federation in March 2022 to join Justine Hénin’s academy in Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium then the Mouratoglou academy in the South of France, before currently evolving at the Perreux tennis club (Ile-de-France). “Sometimes we tend to pull you down (at the FFT) and I find it average. In France, the small does not have the right to overtake the large. The mentality abroad is not that at all. If you can go high straight away, go for it…”declared the main interested party to Le Parisien in 2023.
For his first junior Grand Slam, the player is enjoying himself on the Porte d’Auteuil courts. Without truly being showmanhe regularly manages to get the audience on his side and it is not rare to see him smile between two points. “It’s a dream to be here. I can’t believe I’m at Roland Garros, I’ve been dreaming of it since I was little.”, he blurted. It is now court 14 and its 2,500 seats that awaits him. Opposite, it is the Pole Tomasz Berkieta who stands this Thursday, June 6, 34th in the world and semi-finalist of the 2023 Australian Open.
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Anyone who is a fan of Formula 1, speed sports but also Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappé can in any case see far ahead for the years to come while keeping their feet on the ground. “Like anyone who plays tennis, I hope to be world number 1. Afterwards, do I have the capabilities? We’ll see later. I try to take as much energy as possible, I try to go very, very far in my career but we will see”he slides at ease in front of the cameras.
