AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2026

Victoria Mboko

Press Conference

V. MBOKO/C. McNally

6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Victoria, congratulations. You're into the third round here for the very first time. Can you give us your thoughts on your performance today and just the match in general?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, well, I played against Caty McNally today, and she's not an easy player to play. Very aggressive, very good movement. And honestly, she had a lot of chances in the second set to really push the match around.

But I feel like I really had to fight hard today and just battle with her as much as I can and just get the job done.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You were down three games to none in the second set. Did you feel nerves at that point? How did you battle back?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Well, I think when I was down 3-0, she was playing really great tennis, so I just tried to put it in my head to take it point by point and not focus too much on the score. Any chance I got to really push the match around or make a turnaround, I tried to take it as much as I could.

Honestly, there was a lot of Canadians in the crowd, too. That really gave me a lot of motivation and a lot of support. So I was really thankful for that today. I think they really helped me push through the match today.

Q. Can you say a bit about your next opponent, Clara Tauson? You never played her, but she went far in Montreal where you won the tournament. She went to the semis and was beaten by Osaka. Maybe you noticed a bit about her?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Well, I didn't really watch -- I haven't really watched any of her matches yet, but I know she's very aggressive. She's ranked really high for a reason. So I know it's going to be also another battle on Friday, is it? Yeah, I don't know.

But, yeah, it's going to be tough. She's a hard hitter, and I'm really looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Q. How is your knee holding up? Is the big wrapping helping? Do you think that you might take it off at some point or just keep it for the duration of your time in the tournament?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, I feel like I'd say the wrapping is, it's a lot scarier than it is, but I think I just want to keep it just to have the prevention that it holds, just to keep it stable.

It's been a long couple of weeks and with a lot of play, so it's normal that over a course of weeks, you're going to feel stuff here and there as matches go on. So I'm just taking precaution right now and making sure everything's okay when I play my matches, so that's what it's for.

Q. Did you do something to it in Adelaide? A hyperextension or something?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, I hyperextended it in Adelaide. So it's not like a reoccurring injury or anything. It was just a little mishap that I had. Yeah, that's just what it's for.

Q. I know your dad plays a big role in your career and in your life. Did he have any words for you today either before or after?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Honestly, he doesn't really tell me much before or after the match (smiling). He just tells me to go out there and have fun.

Yeah, he doesn't really like to complicate things for me, and I feel like I'm the same way. Yeah, we kept it pretty simple. It was nice to see him after the match. He was pretty happy.

Q. When did you decide that you were going to have three family members come over for the tournament? Is that a distraction, a good thing? What's the positive to have them all here?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, well, it's not really me who decides whether they come or not (smiling). Yeah, they've never been to Australia, so they wanted to see it.

So it's pretty convenient for them that I'm playing the Australian Open so they can come. They can come watch me, anyways. But no, whether they're here or not, I do love having them here, and it's extra support. They've helped me a lot when I was a child growing up, and they bring me a lot of comfort when I play.

It's always nice to have them around. But they're adults. You know, they can come on their own, on their own dime (smiling).