Victoria Mboko may have just lost in the Qatar Open final, but tennis waits for no one. The Dubai Tennis Championships start today.
It marks the continuation of a gruelling two weeks of back-to-back WTA 1000 events, made even more physically taxing for those who go deep in the first.
However, this Canadian superstar is young and full of energy, and will be keen to take advantage of a weakened field at this prestigious tournament.
After all, both Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have withdrawn from Dubai, thus leaving Victoria Mboko with another golden opportunity to mimic her Qatar run.
Victoria Mboko speaks after Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka’s Dubai withdrawal
Speaking to the press earlier this week, the 18-year-old was informed about these two top players pulling out of this event.
And, considering how well Mboko did in Qatar, which saw Iga Swiatek lose early and Aryna Sabalenka not play at all, there’s cause for further optimism as she continues her Middle Eastern tour.
Who is your favorite player on the WTA Tour right now?
Mboko reacted to the news of their withdrawals and was asked to explain how this reflects on the congestion of the tennis calendar. She also explained how she deals with such a quick turnaround.
Although still fairly new on tour, the Qatar Open finalist still admitted: “I think training plays a big part, the way you train, putting a lot of emphasis on fitness. It is a lot of matches, and the tournaments are really close to each other, so it’s hard to try to manage that.
“Of course, you want to manage your tournament schedule the best you can. But yeah, I think just, from a recovery standpoint and doing good physio, having good fitness and good routines help you kind of last longer in that sense. I’m trying to improve that in a way.
“I mean, we’re always focused on it, but I think it’s important to also prioritise everything else off court that’s not related to tennis.”
There is a huge opportunity for a young WTA star at the Dubai Tennis Championships
Given how Mboko capitalised on early exits and Sabalenka’s withdrawal in Qatar, she and many other youngsters on the WTA Tour will be hoping to achieve a similar feat in Dubai.
After all, in the pre-tournament promotion for this event, the abundance of young talent on display is frightening.
The future of the women’s sport is certainly in safe hands.
Mboko is likely leading the way right now, having just broken into the top ten, alongside Mirra Andreeva.
However, they are closely followed by rising stars like Alexandra Eala, Iva Jovic, Sara Bejlek and Zeynep Sönmez, to name just a few.
Who is your favorite player – Alexandra Eala or Coco Gauff?
Let us know why in the comments!
Perhaps one of these, or even a lesser-known youngster, could take advantage of this golden opportunity on one of the biggest stages in tennis this week.
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