Victoria Mboko on breaking out in 2025: 'I never knew all of this was going to happen' - Exclusive

After the kind of gigantic leap Victoria Mboko has taken in 2025, one might think the success would go straight to the head of a 19-year-old, living the starry life on the women’s professional tennis circuit.

Not the case with Mboko. Far from it, actually. It’s hard to imagine too many teenagers - especially in her fast-revolving world - being more grounded than the Canadian.

So much so that her level-headedness could be a point of difference in what is looking like a radiating future, not to mention the North American's strong tennis game.

“I feel like I say it a lot, but it's been a very long season,” Mboko said during an interview with Olympics.com, shortly before the WTA season ended with her ranked 18th in the world, which will seed her for the four majors in 2026.

“I think this is also the first time I played a full kind of schedule. I mean besides the Australian Open in the beginning of the year, I feel like I've done quite a lot and a lot has happened which I've had to adapt to really quickly.

“I feel like I'm still learning so many things along the way but looking back at everything, I'm really happy with where I came from to where I am now, and it gives me a lot of hope and confidence for the next year to be playing.

“I still haven't played a lot of tournaments on the calendar so there's a lot of things I'm really looking forward to.”

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Victoria Mboko on Canadian Open run: 'Absolutely surreal'

Where Mboko has come from seems so distant, figuratively and literally, because she was so far down the list.

A year ago, she was No. 350 and now, along with the likes of Alexandra Eala and Janice Tjen, is one of the breakout stars on the tour.

Mboko reached the third round of the French Open as a qualifier and won two titles in her rookie campaign - the Canadian Open and the Hong Kong Tennis Open two weeks ago, where she outlasted Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the year’s longest final of 2 hours and 49 minutes.

Her home WTA tournament in Montreal was the highlight of Mboko’s season. There, as a wild card, she marched through four Grand Slam champions including Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka in the final en route to the maiden trophy of her career, sending all of Canada into a frenzy.

“It was unbelievable. I mean getting the wild card to the main draw even was such a big deal for me,” Mboko recalled of her fairytale summer run.

“I think the Canadian Open is, for a lot of Canadians, it's almost up there like a Grand Slam. So I think going into the tournament and having that feeling that I can possibly win, it was absolutely surreal.

“It was an incredible week in Montreal with all the Canadian fans and I'd say it has changed a lot of stuff in my life and I've had to adapt quickly to it. But it was an amazing experience.”

What followed the Canadian Open were a few puzzling results for Mboko, who lost her first match at four consecutive tournaments until she stopped the bleeding in Tokyo at the Pan Pacific Open in late October.

Mboko had to adjust to life in the fast lane fast, which led to her post-Montreal slide. But she was not fazed by her funk, understanding that having to make adjustments through growing pains is easier said than done, particularly at the highest level of the sport.

There is a quiet, inner strength and security to Mboko that seeps through her words and the way she carries herself. Not in a macho, in-your-face way that could be construed as shallow or for show.

Mboko is real.

“Of course after Montreal, a lot has happened. But then again, I feel like for me it was just another tournament and I'm not really comparing that win to what is going on now.

“Maybe (I was) not having the greatest couple of tournaments but you know, I always go into every tournament with the same mentality and everyone's good in the tournament. I know I have to really bring out some good tennis to beat these good players, and then again, I'm still learning in the same way.

“There's so many unique styles of play and I'm playing with the top now so I'm going to be winning, losing a lot of matches and if I have to find my rhythm and stuff, it can take me a while. I'm still excited and it's a privilege to play against these kinds of players.”

Victoria Mboko on season grind: 'Just enjoy the process'

Mboko will call it a year with this weekend’s Billie Jean King Cup play-offs in Monterrey, Mexico, where she will proudly represent Canada against hosts Mexico and Denmark. The winners of the three-way event clinch a spot in next year’s qualifying.

Hope and outside expectations will rise for Mboko in 2026, off the heels of a campaign that saw her win 60 matches and crack the top 20.

Sure, like any other player, Mboko wants to be in the top 10 and win this tournament, that title. But Mboko isn’t about to get ahead of herself. She is much smarter than that.

The biggest lesson of the year when she stepped into the spotlight was to enjoy the ride because she takes nothing for granted, and that is what she plans to do beginning in the new year.

After all, Victoria Vanessa Mboko is just getting started.

“I think the most important thing I've taken away was just to enjoy the process so much. I always used to remember so many players saying that the tour can be very long and it could be lonely and there's a lot of things that come with it.

“I think as I start to play more of these tournaments, I start to realize what people are saying more and understanding. But I think it's really important for me to have a good support system around me - people who I'm close to and I'm able to find a lot of joy in traveling, and playing these tournaments and going to different countries every week and competing all the time with not having much rest.

“So I think that's the kind of process that I need to adapt to more. And I think that's the part I enjoy as much, too, because it's just, like, your job.

“I don't really think of anything to achieve. Of course the big achievements - to be winning a Grand Slam or to be top 10 - those are obviously milestones that I've had since I was a young girl.

“But things can happen - just like how I never knew that I was going to be 22 in the world. I never knew all of this was going to happen. So I just like to let things play into perspective and I always try my best.”

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