Kouame’s ‘purpose is World No. 1’, however first up: Miami debut

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Kouame’s ‘purpose is World No. 1’, however first up: Miami debut

17-year-old Frenchman previews his main-draw ATP Masters 1000 debut

March 19, 2026

Moise Kouame is about to tick off one thing many younger tennis participant goals about: stepping onto court docket at an ATP Masters 1000 occasion.

The 17-year-old Frenchman has acquired a wild card into the Miami Open offered by Itau, the place he’ll make his main-draw debut at this stage. For Kouame, the youngest participant contained in the Prime 900 of the PIF ATP Rankings, it’s a second he’s desirous to embrace.

“I received my first tournaments on the circuit, which was actually enjoyable, then I certified for my first ATP 250 occasion [in Montpellier],” Kouame, who’s at a career-high World No. 385, stated in a social media publish. “Now taking part in in Miami is simply unbelievable. Miami is Miami, you understand? There’s no different [place] like Miami. It’s a extremely cool place.

“It’s going to be an enormous expertise for me taking part in these guys, so I’m going to attempt to put all the things into it.”

Kouame has picked up velocity throughout his rise in latest months. The 6’3” teen opened his 2026 season by profitable back-to-back ITF World Tennis Tour titles earlier than qualifying for his first tour-level occasion on the ATP 250 on residence soil in Montpellier.

Now comes one other step in his fast-moving journey. In Miami, Kouame will start his marketing campaign Thursday towards American qualifier Zachary Svajda — their first Lexus ATP Head2Head assembly. It’s a probability for the younger Frenchman to check himself towards the world’s finest on one of many Tour’s greatest levels.

“My purpose is to be World No. 1 and win a lot of Grand Slam [titles]. That is what I’m coaching for,” Kouame stated. “Now it’s a dream, and I hope later it will not be, however will probably be actual.”

Kouame first picked up a racquet at 5 years outdated after watching his older brother play, and it didn’t take lengthy earlier than he discovered a tennis hero to observe.

“Watching my brother play, I simply wished to play, so I grabbed a racquet,” Kouame stated of his brother Michael. “My idol was Novak Djokovic rising up. I used to be simply so amazed once I was watching him play — his type and resilience was simply unbelievable.”