The Mboko effect: Young tennis players in Montreal feel inspired by NBO champion

Young tennis players in Montreal are feeling the 'Mboko buzz' after the 18-year-old won the National Bank Open final.

Aug. 7 in Montreal was a huge night for Ontario’s Victoria Mboko and also for Canadian tennis as the “Mboko Buzz” is being felt by local players at tennis clubs.

At the Côte de Liesse Tennis Club, players as young as 10 like Brooklyn Desjardins are feeling the Mboko effect.

“It’s so inspirational to me because, like, she’s also from Canada and so it’s really cool” Desjardins told CTV News.

Playing since she was three years old, Eva Paquette sent Vicky Mboko a bracelet that she wore during practice.

“I admire her a lot because she never gives up and she’s always concentrated in her game,” Paquette said.

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The former head of Tennis Canada and coach for high-performance players, Sylvain Bruneau, says Mboko is changing the sport.

“She is very charismatic. She’s a wonderful tennis player. I think she’s going to have a wonderful effect on tennis in this country. Participation, competition, just with the fans. I mean, I’m sure ratings on TV were incredible for her matches. We need ambassadors like Victoria Mboko,” Bruneau said.

Simon Larose, former professional tennis player and director of the High Performance Program at the Côte de Liesse Tennis Club, coached Mboko three years ago.

“She is very kind to the younger generation, too. So, yeah, she’s going to be a good role model for a lot of young girls here” Larose said.

While young players around him are emulating Mboko’s big serves and cross-court smashes, Larose added: “When we have good success like that, we get more kids playing and that’s what we want. More kids playing tennis, then more chances of us having other champions like her.”

As for Paquette, she says she has more energy to practice after watching Mboko.

“She inspires me a lot.”

Desjardins gets the final word: “She’s amazing. Yeah. She’s the next Serena Williams.”