'Don't know what to reply!' Teen receives text from Djokovic after 23-year record
- Christian Montegan
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
In what will go down as a day he'll never forget, 17-year-old Moise Kouame is an instant sensation after becoming the youngest player to win a Masters 1000 match in 23 years.
Kouame made the most of his wildcard, as the world No.385 defeated Zachary Svajda 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 at the Miami Open.
Born in 2009, the Frenchman became the youngest player to win a match in Miami, and the youngest to win a Masters match since 2003, when a then 16-year-old Rafael Nadal famously defeated former world No.1 Carlos Moya in Hamburg.
"It's huge," Kouame told the Tennis Channel.
"First main draw at a Masters 1000 here in Miami, it's such a cool place. I'm really happy to win that match today, and hopefully I can win many more.
"It's my first time, so I didn't expect all of this, but here I am. I need to get used to it pretty fast. It brings me a lot of confidence. It shows me that I'm on the right path. I just need to keep working."
Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEDT in its 18th year on the SEN Network/App, Australia's only dedicated weekly tennis program on commercial radio running through till the end of November.
The young star then shared a special message received by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
"I have a small secret… After the win, Novak texted me," Kouame revealed. "I'm so nervous, I don't know what to answer. He texted me something like, 'Big match today. Congrats. Hopefully you will go far.'
"Maybe [I should reply]: 'Thank you, Novak. Thank you, my idol.' No… I don't know! Imagine having your idol DM you like this… It's the coolest thing ever."
If Kouame is to replicate his first round victory, he must get past 21st seed Jiří Lehečka next.
Play USA Tennis Pathways supports athletes who want to go down the college pathway, assisting players to get recruited to a college that meets their academic and athletic goals. If you are a player, parent, or coach and are interested in the college pathway in the United States, contact Lachlan Puyol at playusatennispathways@gmail.com
