Seventeen-year-old Moise Kouame became the youngest Masters 1000 match-winner since Rafael Nadal after defeating Zachary Svajda in the Miami Open first round. The victory prompted a congratulatory text from Novak Djokovic, leaving the teenager starstruck. Kouame shared his nervous excitement in an interview.
Moise Kouame, ranked No. 385, secured a wildcard entry into the Miami Open and delivered on Court 7 with a three-set comeback win over America's Zachary Svajda, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. This marked him as the youngest to win a Masters 1000 match since Nadal did so at age 16, 22 years ago. The result boosted Kouame 66 spots in the live ATP rankings and guaranteed him $36,110 in prize money, exceeding his earnings for the year so far. Another victory would raise that to $61,865, with the round of 16 offering $105,720—surpassing his career total. Kouame faces 21st seed Jiri Lehecka next on Friday. Post-match, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic sent a personal text: something like “Big match today. Congrats. Hopefully you’ll go far in the tournament.” Speaking to Tennis Channel’s Steve Weissman, Kouame admitted, “I’m so nervous. I don’t know what to answer. I’m really so nervous right now.” He laughed about his dilemma: “Thank you Novak. No, thank you my idol? No, I don’t know.” Kouame, who has never met Djokovic, called it “too much,” fulfilling a childhood dream. His path reflects dedication: at 13, he left home to train at Justine Henin's academy in Belgium, embracing sacrifices like missing family events. “Being a professional athlete at 17 means a lot of sacrifices... Leaving home to train abroad was part of the sacrifices,” he said. Kouame, the youngest in the top 900, recently won two ITF events and his first ATP title in Montpellier. Djokovic often supports young talents, as seen with his training session and praise for 13-year-old Rafael Pagonis last year.
