Enjoy our interview with Michael Mmoh - winner of the USTA's Roland-Garros wild card in 2022. Below is a snippet of our feature on Michael, for more info go to www.tennisnow.com!
As a top junior, Michael Mmoh knows a thing or two about heavy expectations. He was the No.2-ranked junior in 2015, pushing for junior Slam titles and thought of as one of the most promising American players.
He remains one of the more promising Americans, but one with unfinished business in 2022. Mmoh, the son of Toni Mmoh, who is a former World No.105 that played for Nigeria during his career, believes he is on the rise after several seasons of fits and starts due to injuries.
He recently won the USTA’s French Open wild card playoff and will take his place in the main draw at Roland-Garros for the second time next week. Having topped out in the ATP rankings at 96 in 2018, Mmoh currently ranks 179 – but, at the age of 24, he feels he has the capacity to go much higher.
We asked him if players like Aslan Karatsev, who came from relative obscurity to become the lowest-ranked player to reach the Australian Open semifinals on his Grand Slam debut, inspire him to believe that he can rise up the ranks on tour.
“[Players like that] show me that no matter how long you might be playing challengers or whatever that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a challenger player,” he said. “It just hasn’t clicked yet in terms of you making that breakthrough, and I feel like if I’m able to consistently be healthy and just give myself opportunities week in and week out, I feel like my game belongs on the ATP Tour, so I think if I’m able to just keep working hard, keep staying healthy, I’ll be surprised if I’m not there.”
Despite struggling with injuries over the last few seasons, Mmoh has made big strides. He won his first Grand Slam main draw match at the Australian Open in 2020 and has since reached the second round at two other majors. The potential to do damage on the biggest stages is there – now it’s just about getting everything in sync, mentally and physically.
“I would always miss four months here, three months there, so now I feel like my body is finally at a place where I am able to play week in and week out and I’m liking how my game is forming because of that,” Mmoh says. “I’m able to get consistent reps of playing matches and I really think this year is going to be a good year for me because of that.”
Mmoh spends a lot of time training in Bradenton, Florida, where he is a regular hitting partner of Sebastian Korda, Denis Shapovalov and other top pros. He says the experience can only help him.
“It’s a very competitive atmosphere, I’m able to hit with Sebi a lot, Shapo when he’s here. Obviously my goal is to be playing with these guys week in and week out, and it’s a good place to train because it feels like you are on the tour with them when you are training with them.”
Read the full article at Tennisnow.com!
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