Victoria Mboko says she felt her wrist at times during her US Open first-round loss and also claimed that she was able to start practicing again only a week before the start of the final Grand Slam of the year.
During her Montreal semifinal match against Elena Rybakina, the Canadian had a bad fall and injured her wrist. Still, the teenage sensation managed to upset Rybakina in three sets, before doing the same against Naomi Osaka the following day to become a WTA 1000 champion in a fairytale way.
After winning Montreal and going from world No. 85 to No. 23 in the world, Mboko withdrew from Cincinnati to treat her wrist. On Monday, the new Canadian tennis star returned to action at the US Open and got bounced 3-6 2-6 by Barbora Krejcikova in the first round. From start to finish, the Czech two-time Grand Slam champion was all over the 18-year-old, claiming two breaks in each set to easily earn the win.
Mboko: The wrist bothered me at times… I started hitting again only a week ago
"I had a previous injury in Montreal when I fell on it. I taped it up here just to keep it stable and somewhat OK for the match. At times it bothered me, but mostly it was about stability," the world No. 23 said after the Krejcikova loss.
Also, Mboko said that she didn't really have much time to prepare well for her US Open debut.
“I only started hitting about a week before. To be ready, I did as much rehab and prevention work as possible. Now there’s a little break before the Asia swing, so I’ll make sure everything is good with my fitness before then;" the 18-year-old added.
After winning Montreal, Mboko didn't hide that she had big goals for her US Open debut. Unfortunately for her, it didn't happen.
Mboko also noted in her interview that she would now turn her focus to preparing for the upcoming Asian swing.
