Victoria Mboko’s meteoric rise over the last year has been well-documented and justifiably celebrated.
After all, it saw this teenage talent go from outside the world’s top 300 to now inside the top ten, claiming some huge wins over some of the sport’s best players during that period.
Naturally, this fine form and rapid rankings jump have seen her swiftly compared to fellow youngsters, with Mirra Andreeva, Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala now routinely pitted against one another.
However, despite her superiority over this group, Coco Gauff continues to be dragged into such conversations, particularly regarding Victoria Mboko.
Victoria Mboko and Coco Gauff compared again
Speaking on the Big T podcast for Tennis Channel, all three pundits were united in their opinion on this particular comparison.
CoCo Vandeweghe began by stating: “With Coco Gauff having two Grand Slams under her belt, that is a feat in itself, and who knows how many more she will have by the end of her career. We forget that Coco is still so young.
Who has impressed you the most?
“I think Vicky Mboko is going to have a very good career as a player. Top-10 material, no doubt, top five probably, but Grand Slams that’s a different echelon.”
Andrea Petkovic went a step further, arguing that Gauff is actually underrated and that these comparisons justify her claim: “I think Coco Gauff has one of the strongest champion’s minds I have ever seen in a player being that young, with some flaws in her game, but always competing.
“For me, Coco Gauff is somehow underrated even though she shouldn’t have been … I don’t know if you agree, but in a weird way, I feel like she’s underrated.
“I played her when she was 15 and right away I thought to myself, ‘This is a generational talent.’ I lost to Coco Gauff when she was 15 years old, and she won her first title.”
Brad Gilbert, who coached Gauff between 2023 and 2024, finally added: “Mboko maybe has a higher ceiling in a one-off match if she’s playing her best tennis, but Coco is more resilient, she stays healthy,” the American said.
Where will Coco Gauff be ranked at the end of 2026?
“That’s going to be a big thing for Mboko, you say she has this knee issue. I think Coco has a much higher ceiling longer term. But just for a one-off match? Maybe Mboko’s ceiling is pretty high.”
What has Coco Gauff said about Victoria Mboko comparisons?
Pundits are not the only ones to reject this comparison, with Gauff having actually argued against it too.
When asked if she saw any similarities between them after she was beaten by Mboko in Canada last year, the 21-year-old admitted: “No, she’s a completely different player, completely different person.
“I’ve never been one to compare myself to others, whether it be like people comparing me to Serena or Venus, and I don’t think it’s fair to put that on her as well.
“Yeah, but I do see someone who is going to have a really bright future, for sure.”
Ironically, Gauff and Mboko recently played doubles together in Qatar, suggesting that there is no rivalry between them despite this persisting narrative.
