"I think I can learn a lot from him. He’s such a great addition" - Victoria Mboko prepares for Roland Garros with Iga Swiatek's former coach

Victoria Mboko's clay swing has not gone smoothly so far. Now with Iga Swiatek's former coach by her side, she will be looking to continue her fine form after enjoying a deep run in France before she begins her French open campaign.

Mboko took a risk in competing at the Internationaux de Strasbourg so close to Roland Garros as she was desperate to get some experience on clay. She reached the final before losing out to Emma Navarro in three sets.

Now back in Paris, she is raring to go. "I’m feeling pretty confident," she told the press. "I haven’t really had a lot of matches coming into the clay season, and I think accepting a wild card to Strasbourg last minute was a choice. It was a tough choice because it was so close to the tournament, but I’m happy to have gotten some matches before coming into the French Open."

It has been a turbulent clay swing for Mboko. From dental problems to a virus in Rome, the run in Strasbourg was a crucial one. "I’d say the whole clay season I got pretty unlucky," she stated. "I first had my wisdom teeth taken out, so I skipped the first couple of tournaments. I got to play Madrid, but of course not enough matches, and then I was excited for Rome and unfortunately got sick the day before my match."

"Reflecting on all of that, I decided maybe three days after I pulled out that it would be beneficial for me to take another wild card for Strasbourg, just to have something more before coming to Paris. I’m happy with the decision because it helped me get some matches under my belt and get more clay-court experience."

Clay is not a natural surface for the 19-year-old, but it is one she has had to learn and continues to improve on it. "When I first started training, I never really felt comfortable with my movement on clay. So before even getting to the tennis part, I would try to work on the sliding and things like that.

"I wouldn’t say I’m still that great at it, but I think it’s having the fitness to compensate for how you play on court and help you in those certain aspects. Right now I’m a lot better than when I started the training, so I think I’ve improved in those ways."

Movement is crucial on clay. Sliding is common to reach the tennis balls on a very physical surface. "Well, I know what you’re asking. But at the end of the day, when you’re playing a match, you’re still running the best you can to get to each ball," she said.

"Although I don’t consider myself the best mover on clay, I just use what I can to help me get through the matches. I wouldn’t say I’m super comfortable on it, but I guess your athlete instincts help you get through it."

There has been a huge shift in coaches in recent times. One of the most notable is Swiatek parting company with Wim Fissette as her form continues to not be at the level expected. Francisco Roig came by her side with the Belgian a free agent.

That is where Mboko comes in, scooping him up and possibly starting a flourishing partnership. "I’m really excited to start working with Wim," Mboko said. "Bringing in someone who has the experience of working with such high-ranked players — and who has such a history of working with Grand Slam champions — gives me a different perspective on what I can do to get into those kinds of positions. It’s been great so far, and I think I can learn a lot from him. He’s such a great addition."

She confirmed that she ditched her prior team from Canada to just team up with Fissette. The Canadian Open champion spoke on how he would improve her game.

"I think it’s more about how you work with the player — what technically I’m already good at, and what I can improve with what I already have. It’s about improving my strengths and maybe minimising my weaknesses. It varies from player to player. It’s only been about a week right now, so I can’t really say that much has changed yet. But maybe there will be some technical tweaks that could go a long way."

Mboko is one of numerous talented tennis players coming through. The likes of Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic she regularly hangs out with off court. "It’s really nice. I feel like I’ve known a lot of them since I was super young, and the good thing is they’re all really nice girls," she commented.

"Whenever we can go to the mall or take some time away from tennis and just relax and have a little fun off court, I think that’s super important because we’re on tour for so long and you don’t really get to see your close friends. Making those friendships on tour is super important just to have a little peace of mind. They’re all such great people, so it’s nice to have them around."