Victoria Mboko is showing signs of an issue that may stop her from fully reaching her potential.
Mboko had a breakout year in 2025, jumping from outside the top 300 to inside the WTA top 20.
Her run was capped off by victory at the Canadian Open and saw her named Newcomer of the Year.
With such a rapid rise, there are understandably big expectations for what she can accomplish in 2026 . But Coco Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert has pointed to one part of her game that still needs work.
Brad Gilbert sees similarities between Victoria Mboko and Coco Gauff’s game
Mboko kicked off her 2026 campaign at the United Cup, teaming up with Felix Auger-Aliassime to represent Canada.
She picked up one singles win but also took a three-set loss to Elise Mertens.
After the United Cup exit, Mboko’s game became a topic of discussion on The Big T Podcast, where Gilbert and former top 10 player Andrea Petkovic weighed in.
There has been plenty of debate around Gauff’s serve and forehand issues over the years. And according to Gilbert, Mboko is dealing with something very similar.
“I don’t like her forehand. She’s got exactly the same issue as Coco. Serve and forehand,” Gilbert said.
Petkovic added: “The thing is, what you said was so interesting, because the one difference between her and Coco is she goes for broke on her first serve. So she’s still ace leader, you know, she has a lot of aces.”
How Victoria Mboko has fared in Grand Slam tournaments
Mboko, despite having two WTA titles to her name, is still finding her feet when it comes to Grand Slam events.
Her win at the Canadian Open saw her being tipped as a potential Grand Slam threat, but she’s yet to go beyond the third round at any major tournament.
She’ll enter the Australian Open as a top 20 seed, but this will be her first appearance at the event.
Following Canada’s exit from the United Cup, Mboko still has one more tournament lined up before heading to Melbourne.
She’ll play at the Adelaide International, a WTA 500 event that also includes Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Mirra Andreeva in its field.
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