Kouame's greatest talent as a tennis player is his mentality

Diego Jiménez Rubio | 29 May 2026 | 07.38

Moise Kouame, seen by his coach. Photo: gettyimages

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French phenomenon Moise Kouame continues to impress at Roland Garros 2026 after creating one of the great stories of the tournament at just 17 years old. Following his spectacular five-set victory, his coach, British Liam Smith, delved into how the team is experiencing the emergence of the young Frenchman and what impresses them most about their protégé.

Guided by Richard Gasquet, head coach Liam Smith highlighted particularly Moise Kouame's mental strength, his maturity beyond his years, and how he managed to physically and emotionally survive a match of over five hours in one of the most demanding settings possible. The British coach also spoke about the significant roles played by Fabien Bertrand, the physical trainer, within the project, in addition to explaining the aspects they continue to work on to develop the young Frenchman's immense potential.

What impressed him most about Kouame's match

"So many things. First of all, he's 17 years old and was able to play for five hours, five sets, and a final super tie-break while keeping himself together physically and mentally. That speaks volumes about the internal qualities he possesses as a competitor. Talent is not just physical or technical, it's also mental."

"The way he came back in the fifth set was extremely impressive. It's very uncommon for a player of that age on such a stage."

The mental strength and growth he is showing

"Yes and no. You never really know until it happens. We had very long training sessions, and he even played five-set matches while training here at Roland Garros a few weeks ago."

"The whole team did a great job preparing him physically for something like this, so I wasn't entirely surprised. But winning a match like that in the fifth set can greatly change a player's confidence and self-belief."

"I think he is very strong mentally as a tennis player. The big change always comes when you move from juniors or small tournaments to much larger stages."

"That's when typical errors of young players usually appear: lapses in concentration, disconnections, or intensity issues. That's precisely one of the things we've been working on a lot over the past month."

"We want him to be more disciplined and mentally stable during matches. In some challengers, he had quite clear ups and downs, but he is doing an excellent job at improving all of that."

Who Kouame is off the court

"He's a fantastic guy with a lot of personality. He loves to joke around, and we also share many interests outside of tennis. For example, he's passionate about Formula 1, and so am I. He works very hard but also understands the importance of enjoying and balancing things."

"At 17 years old, this is crucial because the journey is still very long. This is a fantastic start, but it's still just the beginning. He loves to compete, train, and play tennis, and that helps a lot."

The team surrounding Kouame currently

"IMG Tennis contacted me, as did Moise's family. But the most important thing is that he already had a fantastic team around him with a lot of experience."

"Having Richard Gasquet involved as a consultant for the French Federation is huge. And then there's Fabien Bertrand, who spent ten years working with David Goffin."

"The chemistry within the team is quite special. The most impressive part is how a 17-year-old can relate to all of us in such a mature manner. Honestly, he is way beyond the norm for his age."

The aspects of his game they still want to develop

"There's room for improvement in practically everything. The serve is already very good, but it can still improve significantly in quality, consistency, and efficiency. The forehand can also become an even more dangerous weapon. Today, it was evident that he started to play more aggressively and accelerate more with it."

The real project they have with him

"For me as a coach, the project is always to create the best person, the best athlete, and the best tennis player possible. We want to help him achieve his goals and become the best version of himself. What exactly he will end up being, we still don't know, but we'll try to take him as far as possible."

"No, he doesn't work with a psychologist at the moment. We mainly handle that aspect between Richard, Fabien, and me. When you're so young, it's also important not to overthink things too much. And I genuinely believe that today it became quite clear that he is already a very capable player mentally."

Comparisons with Gaël Monfils

"It's interesting because we're witnessing Gaël's final Roland Garros and probably Moise's first. But I honestly don't like to compare players. I always said there's only one Gaël Monfils, and now I would also say there's only one Moise Kouame."

"They are different personalities with completely different paths. When I worked with Gaël, he was already 30 years old; Moise is 17. All the work and development are entirely different."

As Roland Garros 2026 begins to uncover the tremendous potential of Moise Kouame, Liam Smith's words make it clear that within the team, there is great excitement but also a lot of calmness regarding the future of the young Frenchman. Beyond talent, what seems to impress internally the most is Kouame's combination of maturity, discipline, and mental strength at just 17 years old.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "El mayor talento de Kouame como tenista es la mentalidad"

Moise Kouame