ROLAND GARROS

May 26, 2026

Moise Kouame

Press Conference

M. KOUAME/M. Cilic

7-6, 6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Great achievement. I'm sure you know already that you're the youngest player to win a Grand Slam match in 17 years. What does it say about you that you've been able to achieve this?

MOISE KOUAME: Yeah, well, is a good achievement, I would say. But, yeah, first of all, I'm really happy the level that I produced today.

Yeah, I'm of course looking for more. All the practice worked, I want to say. Of course the most important is ahead. So now the head is focused on recovering and be ready as much as possible for the next round.

Q. Congratulations. Just wonder if you could talk through the atmosphere, how it was playing in front of that kind of crowd.

MOISE KOUAME: Well, of course it gives a lot of energy, positive energy, on difficult moments, stressful moments. Having the crowd with me is really helpful, of course. They really helped me getting the breaks, getting the set.

So I'm really thankful for that.

Q. What would you say best prepared you for a moment like this? There is only so much you could have experienced at your age. I'm curious what experiences did you draw on to prepare yourself for playing on a big stadium like this in front of all these people in your home slam?

MOISE KOUAME: Well, Miami I think kind of helped me, in a way, because playing a 1000 is a big tournament, as well. Last year where I did the quallies of course helped me. I kind of knew the atmosphere that I was about to have or to hear on court.

Yeah, Roland Garros, Miami, Monte-Carlo, was I think important tournaments to play to require a certain amount of experience. Yeah, today it really worked, so I'm really happy of the choices we made together.

Q. Obviously your Grand Slam debut, a home crowd, very noisy, a former Grand Slam champion, but you didn't appear to show too many nerves out there. How do you stay so composed at just 17?

MOISE KOUAME: Well, training. I knew that I put a lot of hours into training, so the tactic also was clear coming up on the match.

Yeah, I mean, if I played and then I lose, then it's okay. I have other tournaments. Yeah, obviously playing a former Grand Slam champion also maybe in a way, relaxed me. I knew that he was going to be a big match, a good match.

So, yeah, I knew that also I had the team behind me supporting me. I had the crowd, different crowd. Yeah, a lot of elements contributed to relax me. Yeah, this is what happened, so we're happy.

Q. On a very different subject, I think your TikTok is very strong. I saw that Q&A you did earlier this month. Why is Petra Kvitova your favorite player? And how close or far does your driving lessons feel?

MOISE KOUAME: I didn't understand the first question.

Q. Why is Petra Kvitova your favorite player? I'm curious why?

MOISE KOUAME: I mean, I just love the way she was playing, very aggressive, without fear, and I think she's a big player, you know. Her career is just unbelievable. So, yeah, I was just really, it was really satisfying to watch her play tennis. So, yeah, that's why she's my favorite tennis player, woman tennis player.

But for my driving lessons, it's a bit more complicated (smiling). But for sure when I have time, I will work more on that point. Actually, I like cars and driving, but it's just I don't have time so much to put on, you know, after all the hours in a day of training. You have to eat and sleep after, so it's really difficult to find the room for these kind of things.

But for sure when I have a little bit of time, I will look into it.

Q. Have you had any lessons?

MOISE KOUAME: No, not yet. Not yet. I'm not at that stage yet.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Congratulations. You said a bit about what helped you keep relaxed on the court. But before the match, in the morning, what helped you? Because seen from the outside, we got the impression it was not at all your first Grand Slam match. Even less in Roland Garros. So it might have been complicated for you, but you seemed relaxed right from the start. How did you feel before the match?

MOISE KOUAME: Well, as I said, I felt rather good. I felt well prepared. I was ready. We worked a lot on the tactics, on how to approach the match with my team.

Yesterday I also practiced a lot on these courts, and last year I also practiced and played here. So I knew a bit about the atmosphere and the crowd that was present today.

As I said, the experience I got from Miami, Monte-Carlo, and also Montpellier probably helped me, because in Montpellier also the atmosphere was good.

So at tennis level, as far as tennis level is concerned, I felt rather relaxed, rather serene. I could feel good with my serve, with my front hand. I knew that if I lost the match, it wouldn't be stress, really. I just wanted to go in and have fun, and that's what I managed to do.

Now that I have won, it's even better. But if I hadn't won today, I would still have had fun at least. After all, that's the most important thing.

Q. Congratulations. A few years ago Kylian Mbappe said that you shouldn't talk about age, that if you manage to do something at the age of 17, his age didn't matter. What do you think? Do you feel the same?

MOISE KOUAME: Yes, of course. After all, I'm 17, and I have won one Grand Slam match. I don't think that my opponent today thought, oh, he's 17. He was trying to play his best, and same for me.

I didn't care about his age. I just wanted to give him shots that were as complicated to play as possible. So for some, the age factor may play a role, but as far as I'm concerned, I tried to focus, not to think about it, because in the end, when you're on court, you don't think about your age or what you're going to eat. You think about what you have to do to win.

Q. Something that people are interested in, your partnership with Richard Gasquet. Can you tell us a little bit about your team here, who plays what role? You have Daryl, physical therapist, et cetera. It's an important question, because I believe you have changed the structure and the training in the past few years. Can you tell us how your project and your team is organized?

MOISE KOUAME: When you say there has been a lot of changes, what do you mean?

Q. Well, the coach, you went to the Mouratoglou Academy, the FFT, you have an agent, you have a coach. You have a physical therapist. The structure is agent, coach, medical. Do you have a specific practicing structure also?

MOISE KOUAME: I feel like saying that my structure today helps me win matches, which is the most important thing. Who cares about names? Today I was well prepared for this match. I was well prepared for the tournament, I should say. And after all, that's the most important thing.

Q. My colleague was talking about Richard Gasquet. Picking up on that, you have been beating young-age records since the beginning of the year, which was his case, as well. Did you talk about this with him, the way you should manage media attention, as you can feel now? This is something that Richard had to manage, and it was difficult for him. How do you feel about it, and do you talk about it with him?

MOISE KOUAME: Yes, for the moment it's going well, very well. You'll tell me if I'm answering your questions properly. Things are going well. I'm happy in my life, in my tennis life, and my sports life in general.

I don't want to talk about Richard's past. He had his past; I have my present. Is it any use telling you if we talk about it or not? This is my preparation, and as I said again and again, I have been well prepared, and I'm proud of this. I'm happy with this. Once again, the most important thing is my recovery for the next round.