Kouamé: "Winning the four Grand Slams and being number one is a dream"

Pedro de Pablos | 28 May 2026 | 17.09

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Moise Kouamé is the big story of this Roland Garros 2026. The 17-year-old French tennis player made history by defeating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo and reaching the third round of the tournament, proving to be one of the top talents on the circuit. Furthermore, the Frenchman aims high, as he stated in a press conference that he wants to win all 4 Grand Slams and become number 1.

In fact, only Rafael Nadal has managed to reach the third round of a Grand Slam in this century at a younger age than Kouamé. His charisma, maturity, and physical power make the French player incredibly entertaining to watch, and he showcased this once again today after a battle of nearly five hours in which he never gave up despite being almost eliminated. Nevertheless, Moise is not satisfied and is already thinking about recovering and giving his all in the next match against Alejandro Tabilo.

Kouame explains how he managed to come back from 2-5 in the fifth set

The crowd gave me a lot of energy to keep going physically and mentally. Without them, it would be a different story. I am very happy to have them. They were a great support today; thanks to them, I am here.

Ability to play crucial moments

You always try to place the ball in play and win those points, but it is something we are working on and constantly improving. There are many things we are working on, but this is one of the most important. Playing your best in crucial points is very important because they are the small details that make me win or lose the match. I am very happy.

Dream of winning Roland Garros

Winning at Roland Garros is a dream, but actually winning all the Grand Slams is a dream. Also, becoming number one is a dream. Maybe it is too early to think about winning the tournament, but I am very happy to be in the third round. I will try to bring my best level to win another match.

Showman on the court

Frankly, I even practice these things in training. I do this in the tournament and in basketball with my coach as well. It is something I have always dreamed of doing. Doing this on every point is too much, so I am trying to understand when is the right moment to feel the energy that the crowd gives me. Today I did it very well, so I am very happy.

Emergence of the new generation

I can speak for myself here because I am not sure what others think. I am trying to use this in a positive way. In every match, I am the underdog, so people are here to see the show and not to see me win the tournament. That is something I have understood very well. I want to go as far as possible, but I think considering age is a mistake. As I said yesterday or two days ago, when you are in the tournament, you try to win the match but do not think about your opponent's age. That is something I do very well, so I am happy.

First nearly five-hour match

That is a good question. It was my first experience of this kind. Even in training, I have not played for 5 hours, so I have discovered more about myself. If I have been able to win a match like this, it means that physically I work very well with a physical coach. It is a good thing, but I have to keep going because if I want to win a Grand Slam, I have to do it in seven consecutive matches. I have done it once now, so great journeys start with a step. This is my first step, and I hope there are many more to come.

Learning from a match like this

I have discovered more about the physical aspect, that I am able to maintain a fairly high intensity for nearly 5 hours. In training, there is no stress factor or heat. These are very important elements. Today, they all came together, and I was able to push myself to the maximum and found the reward after working very hard. When you are losing 5-2 in the third set and your arms hurt, what I learned from last year in the final here is that Carlos Alcaraz had to save 3 match points. If you want to win a match, you have to believe in yourself. It is very important to have confidence in yourself and not give up, believe in yourself. Today I did, and I am very happy.

Pressure of playing in front of so many people

Of course, I like this kind of atmosphere and pressure. I played in front of 1,000 people, and it was not easy, but I managed to absorb their energy. They are here to make me win, not to stress me out. For me, I enjoy playing in front of 1,000 people more than 10. I had a lot of fun on the court, and that is the most important thing. Beyond the audience issue, the biggest difference is in the events I played a few months ago and this kind of tournament, and this happens very quickly, in 5 or 6 months.

Speed at which his career is progressing

I train a lot, but if someone had told me this before Roland Garros, I don't know if I would have believed it. It has happened. I don't have time to stop and think about what I just did. I am already thinking about the next match. The next one will be a good match. I hope there will be a similar atmosphere to today. I will give it my all to win another match here.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Kouamé: "Ganar los cuatro Grand Slams y ser número uno es un sueño"