'Hardest part for any player ': Patrick Mouratoglou warns Lois Boisson of challenges ahead after magical French Open run

Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou has highlighted challenges faced by young Lois Boisson. The 22-year-old was the real surprise package in the recently concluded French Open, where her journey finally ended in the semifinal stage after losing to eventual champion Coco Gauff in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-2.

During her journey to the last four, Boisson defeated some big-name players, including world number three Jessica Pegula in the round of 16 and Russia’s young tennis sensation Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals. Those performances helped Boisson improve her standings in the WTA rankings from 361 before the start of the French Open to 65.

Mouratoglou, who is currently coaching former world number one Naomi Osaka, highlighted in a post on his official LinkedIn account the challenges that lie ahead for Boisson. The 55-year-old stated that after producing such an incredible run while playing on home soil in a major competition, Boisson will now feel the burden of expectations, which is the hardest part for any player. Mouratoglou also went on to state that Boisson is a very good ‘tactically’.

“Lois Boisson won’t change, but her life already has,” he wrote. “Just two weeks ago, she was ranked No. 361 in the world and known only by a few. Today, she’s the new French No.1, sitting inside the Top 70, and coming off one of the most remarkable Grand Slam runs we’ve seen in years. A torn ACL just last year. A wild card. Her very first WTA main-draw match. Her very first Grand Slam. And still, she reached the semifinals of Roland-Garros, defeating Top 10 players like Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva, and becoming the first wild card in history to go this far in Paris. But this was no fluke, and certainly not a case of her opponents collapsing. Lois has rare weapons for women’s tennis. Her heavy topspin forehand is unique and extremely effective on clay. She’s tactically brilliant, and against Pegula, there’s no other reason why she won. She stayed emotionally composed when her opponents couldn’t. But now comes the real challenge. She’s no longer the outsider. The underdog. The hidden gem. Now, expectations will rise, fast. Every result will be watched. Every loss questioned. Every win demanded. And that’s the hardest part for any player. Not what happens on the court, but what happens all around it. The noise, the pressure, the attention. You can’t control any of it. So the only way forward… is to focus entirely on what you can control.”