French wild card Moise Kouame was over the moon after Novak Djokovic sent him congratulations on winning the Miami Open. On Thursday, March 19, Kouame stormed into the second round of the tournament, defeating Zachary Svajda 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round.
The win made the 17-year-old the youngest man to claim an ATP Masters 1000 victory since Rafael Nadal in Hamburg in 2003. Kouame admitted he was devastated and speechless after receiving Djokovic’s message, calling it the most amazing moment ever and a dream come true.
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“I’m so nervous, I don’t know what to answer. Imagine having your DM idol that you like. This is too much for me. It’s the most amazing thing,” Kouame told Tennis Channel.
HOW KOUAME DREAMED SVAJDA
Kouame narrowly lost the opening set, but refused to let the match slip away, staying composed and constantly turning the momentum in his favor. The French teenager bounced back strongly in the second set and raised his level when the tie mattered most.
He then showed remarkable composure in the decider, holding firm at key moments to overcome Svajda and seal a hard-fought comeback victory. Kouame is currently ranked 385th in the world and is the youngest player in the ATP Top 900.
Also read: Iga Swiatek in disbelief after shock defeat at Miami Open: Tennis is complicated
Kouame called it a huge milestone, saying winning his first Masters 1000 main draw in Miami gave him a lot of confidence and confirmed he was on the right track.
“It’s big, it’s huge. My first Masters 1000 main draw here in Miami, it’s a great place. I’m really happy to win that match today and I hope to win many more,” Kouame said.
“It’s the first time, so I didn’t expect all this, but here I am. I need to get used to it and quite quickly. It gives me a lot of confidence. It shows me that I’m on the right path. I just need to keep working,” added Kouame.
Kouame will face Jiří Lehečka in the second round.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
20 March 2026 19:16 IST
