Not at all. It is a personality trait.
Kouame has an exceptional physique for his age (1.91m, 73kg), which should propel him into the top 100 in a few weeks, as seems inevitable, and keep him on pace with Rafael Nadal in terms of progression. His ball-handling is already phenomenal for a 17-year-old. But more than that, he has the character of champions, those who don’t set limits for themselves and see their next opponent for who they are; two arms, two legs, a will equal to their own, but certainly not an obstacle he would be too young to take on.
Kuame and the dream of 25 Grand Slams
This personality trait fooled him two weeks ago. next to ATP 250 in LyonIn the interview given to Univers Tennis, the Frenchman did not allow. “My biggest dream is to hold the Grand Slam record. The record is 24, I’ll need 25.” One more than Novak Djokovic, who held the record since his 2023 US Open title. Many wondered what it was like to put the pressure on the young Parisian player at such a young age.
During the few minutes of his meeting with the international media in Paris on Monday, Kwame was not asked about it. But he couldn’t help but realize that, however young he may be, however distraught from his unexpected title win at the Brest Challenger on Sunday, he arrived unfazed at La Défense Arena determined to set the court on fire. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina13th seed. “It’s a good match. Alejandro is full of confidence… Like me,” he said, recalling that Davidovich Fokina had just won the Masters 1000.
And when it was pointed out that he was sending the ratings counters into overdrive, he first smiled.
It is not overconfidence, nor recklessness. It’s a personality trait that could allow him, if things go his way, to replicate at least some of what he accomplished at Roland Garros. As the 318th-ranked wildcard, he defeated Marin Cilic (7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-1, then. Adolfo Daniel Vallejo after a 4h56 marathon (6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8)), before losing in the third round to Alejandro Tabillo (4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (9)).
Bercy, Gaston and Alcaraz lead 5-0
Like every young French player, Kouame knows all about the ability of the Rolex Paris Masters to boost one’s strength. On November 4, 2021, at the age of 12, he was one of the 15,000 Bercy spectators who upset Carlos Alcaraz. Hugo Gaston. The Spaniard raced to a 5-0 lead in the second set before snapping a seven-game losing streak in a Davis Cup atmosphere (6-4, 7-5).
It is his most vivid memory of the tournament. “A legendary match. I remember screaming at the top of my lungs for Hugo to win.” Deprived of matches with that level of emotion for its first edition last year, La Défense Arena awaits such a match. And Kuame how? Arthur sonis one of the players this tournament is made for.
Brest, train and original
He had no time to enjoy it. Kouame salvaged two points from defeat on Sunday in the third set against Dam in front of 3,400 spectators at the Brest Arena. Then everything moved quickly: photos, press, physical therapy, a long train ride, a night’s sleep. “I knew I shouldn’t think about it too much because I’m in court tomorrow.” He still admits his legs are heavy. “They are always after the tournament, a little less after the victory. I’ve had some tough matches physically, but also mentally.”
The craziest part happened two days ago. Kouame, who was invited to the qualifying tournament in Paris, which started on Saturday, was still alive in Brest. He had to choose between Brittany and Paris. On Friday, a few hours before the draw, Jakub Mensik’s exit changed everything. Quentin Halis went straight into the main draw thanks to his ranking, and his wildcard went to Kouame. “An hour before the game, I found out that I finally had the wild card for the main draw. Above all, it freed my mind.”
If he was forced to choose, Brest would win. “I would just keep playing in my tournament. If I couldn’t play the qualifying round at Bercy, it would be next year or another year.” As for the suppression of the first Masters of Paris in the presence of his own people. “There is no extra pressure on my shoulders. It’s a joy to play here in France, in Paris.”
Van Assche. “It was not normal.”
Luca Van AsscheThe 22-year-old, who also won his first-round match against Mariano Navone (6-3, 7-5) on Monday, saw the phenomenon long before anyone else. The two players crossed paths at the Paris Regional Committee when Van Assche was 13 and Kouame was 8. “At the age of 8, he was already sliding left and right, which was not normal at that age,” Van Assche recalls. “His coach at the committee told me that an 8-year-old moving like that is not normal.” Nine years later, the general impression is still not that this young player is an ordinary person.
