ROLAND GARROS

May 28, 2026

Liam Smith

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: First question in English.

Q. Just a simple one. What has impressed you the most during this match?

LIAM SMITH: A lot of things. I think, first of all, 17 years old, to play five hours, five sets, final-set tiebreak, and to physically and mentally stay together, I think it's extremely impressive and it shows a lot of the inner qualities that Moise has as a competitor and also, you know, talent, it's not just physical or technical, it's also mental.

I think you can see there the way he came back in the fifth set, it's highly impressive. It's unusual for a young player of this age and in this kind of an arena to be able to do that and physically play for five hours.

Yeah, very impressive.

Q. Did you expect him being able to do that?

LIAM SMITH: Yes and no. I mean, you never know until you do it, but we did some long practices, he played five sets in practice here at Roland Garros a few weeks ago. His physical trainer and his whole team have been doing a really good job to help prepare him physically for that. So I'm not surprised, but of course until you do it, you're not sure, especially in this age.

So it was an important one to win that in the fifth set for future self-confidence and self-belief. I think it's a really big, important win.

Q. You mentioned the mental aspect. Marin Cilic after Kouame beat him, said he was very impressed with the way he played the key points, the big moments. Is that something you think he already has, the mental strength, or something he's been working on?

LIAM SMITH: I think he's very strong mentally as a tennis player. It's always a transition when you move from being a young player from the juniors or the lower-tier events to the bigger stages. You see a lot of, what I would call, rookie mistakes or junior mistakes or lapses of concentration or lapses of intensity.

That's something we have been working on a lot for the last month or so, is just to improve the ability to stay more disciplined, more focused. In some of his challenger matches, which maybe you have seen, he's had ups and downs.

He's, yeah, doing a really good job of focusing on that and working on that, as well.

Q. How did you happen to meet Moise, to become his head coach? And who are you supported and surrounded by in the team?

LIAM SMITH: Well, it was through IMG tennis, reached out to me, and Moise's family with regard to working with him. Obviously he has a fantastic team in place with a lot of experience around him, which is really important for a young player to have Richard Gasquet with the FFT as a consultant helping Moise and really fully involved, engaged, and committed to help him.

And then his physical coach, Fabien Bertrand, who spent 10 years with David Goffin, so, you know, you're talking about a great team with a lot of experience.

It's quite special, the energy and the chemistry that we have, and how he's able at this age to interact with all us in a very, I would say, mature way that's above his years, that's for sure.

Q. Could you give us a sense of what Moise is like to work with off the court? Is he shy? Does he like to joke? Can you give us a glimpse of something people might not know about him or misunderstand about him?

LIAM SMITH: Yeah, he's a great kid. He has a lot of personality and he enjoys to joke. Actually, we share some similar interests in other things outside of tennis, as well, which is fun. He loves Formula 1. So do I.

He's hard-working, but he understands and he has the ability to balance. We have some tough training sessions, but we're still having some fun, which is very important with a 17-year-old. It's a long journey ahead. This is a fantastic start, but it's a long road.

So he has to enjoy the process. I think he loves to play, he loves to compete, and he likes to practice, and he enjoys it. That's a big help.

Q. A practical question. You're obviously a native English speaker. What languages are flying around the room? Do you speak in French? What languages do you speak to each other, and how much French do you understand?

LIAM SMITH: Yeah, my French is not great. I tried many times to learn, and I understand it probably a little bit better than I speak it.

In terms of the tennis aspects, English. Moise has good English, and Richard, as well, obviously has excellent English. And Fabien, the physical trainer, also has very good English. We speak a lot in English in the team, because they are being polite to me a little bit, as well. Of course a lot in French between Richard and Fabien if there is something important, as well. We mix it up.

Q. Which do you think are the aspects where he has still the most potential, where you can work and improve a lot?

LIAM SMITH: I think there is potential everywhere, of course. You know, improving his serve, I think, is something that's important for the future. He has a very good serve. But it can improve in the quality, the consistency, and the efficiency, let's say.

And his forehand can become a bigger and bigger weapon. You saw today he's already starting to be a little more aggressive with it and play a little faster. I think there is a lot of areas he can improve there, as well.

Q. What's the project? What were you hired for? What's the project? He's very young, he has good potential, but apart from winning matches, what's the project?

LIAM SMITH: Yeah, I think for me as a coach, I have always had the attitude that the project is always to create the best person, the best athlete, and the best tennis player that you can. So it's to help him achieve the goals that he has, but also to become the best version of himself.

What that ends up being, we don't know yet. But, you know, we will be pushing to try to make him the best possible.

Q. You spoke about the team, Fabien, Richard. Does he work with a psychologist or specific exercises in terms of that mental resilience?

LIAM SMITH: No, he doesn't at the moment, no. No, we do most of that together as a team with myself, Richard, and Fabien. We're always, let's say, focusing on those areas, but in a more subtle way.

I think when you're young, it's important sometimes to not overthink, as well. I think if you have too many aspects like that at an early age, it's not always good.

And I think you saw today that mentally he's quite capable already, so if he continues to work and improve, I don't think there's going to be any issues there.

Q. You have been working with Gael Monfils. What kind of similarities do you see between them?

LIAM SMITH: You know, it's an interesting time, isn't it? Obviously Gael's last Roland Garros and Moise's first. So it's interesting. I always said this before when I worked with Gael: There is only one Gael Monfils. I think it's safe to say there is only one Moise Kouame. They are different people. They have slightly different personalities.

Yes, you're going to draw similarities, but for me, I don't like to compare. I like to look at every player individually and say, Okay, what can we do to help that player maximize what they have?

I think some of the things that Moise can develop is a little different than the things we worked on with Gael. And again, very different stages of the career. When I worked with Gael, he was already 29, 30 years old, or more, even 31. Moise, obviously 17. So there is a bit of a different process in the way that the work takes place, as well.