“Mboko is my pick to win a major in 2027” - Greg Rusedski states audacious prediction surrounding Victoria Mboko as he highlights glittering potential of Alexandra Eala

Former British number one Greg Rusedski has analysed two of the brightest talents on the WTA Tour: Alexandra Eala and Victoria Mboko. While he feels that there is more work to do to get to the top, he has a strong belief that Mboko will win the biggest prizes in the sport, and we will not have to wait long for it.

Both players have had strong starts to the year, which have been backed up by solid showings at Indian Wells. Eala reached the semi-finals of the ASB Classic before a first round exit in the Australian Open was a major disappointment.

She bounced back by reaching the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open before making it all the way to the same stage in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for a first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since her terrific run in Miami, which catapulted her to stardom. She was one win away from another last-eight appearance before going down to Linda Noskova.

Speaking on the Off Court podcast, Rusedski was in high praise for the Filipina with a very high ceiling in place. “With Eala, I see so much room for potential,” Rusedski commented, believing that if he had the chance to work with her, there could be a lot of improvement.

“She’s a player I’d love to work with on her serve. I just feel like she can get more benefit out of it, more accuracy, more power. I think she’s gonna possibly crack the top 10 this year. That’s how good she is mentally tactically."

While her recent defeat to Noskova was a huge one, the positives are still clear to see with a long career in store for the 20-year-old. “She got a little bit wrong with some of her shot selection, and she wasn’t really getting much off the serve. So that’s the positive, there’s a lot of upside with her. Lots to improve.”

While there are still vast improvements before Eala can officially be among the best in the world, the Brit was affirmative that Mboko was at the level to be challenging for the biggest and most glamorous rewards in tennis, making a hugely bold prediction.

“Mboko is my pick to win a major in 2027,” Rusedski announced. “Mboko has a great team around her and she is showing she can compete with the best. She has the physicality and I loved the way she shows that composure to win the title in front of her home fans in Canada last year."

Mboko made a name for herself at her home event, winning the Canadian Open as an unknown wildcard. She had started the year outside the top 300 and was set to be a seed for the US Open. That rise has not stopped, with her reaching two finals this year, including the Qatar Open, and debuting in the top 10 in a meteoric rise from the 19-year-old.

“So I think the future is very bright for both her and Eala," Rusedski concluded, admitting that for now they have not breached the gap to the more recognised powerhouses of the WTA Tour. "It’s so good to see the youngsters doing well, but right now it looks the dominance of Sabalanka, Rybakina, Swiatek and Svitolina will continue, but the youngsters are coming.”