‘Very Saddening’ – Victoria Mboko Shares Unfortunate Toronto Update, as Coco Gauff, Marta Kostyuk, Others React

Victoria Mboko has suffered a major setback ahead of the North American hardcourt swing. The rising Canadian star has been forced to withdraw from the WTA 1000 event in Toronto, a year after her breakthrough run to her maiden WTA title at the tournament.

She received support from her colleagues, including Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk, after she shared the “deeply disappointing” update.

Victoria Mboko Pulls Out of the Toronto 1000 Event

Mboko, who grew up near Toronto, was looking forward to making a mark in front of her home crowd during the National Bank Open in August. She was the defending champion at the tournament, having staged a historic title run in Montréal last year, beating Kimberly Birrell, Sofia Kenin, Marie Bouzková, top seed Gauff, Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro, and Elena Rybakina before staging a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback against Naomi Osaka in the final.

The 19-year-old, however, suffered a concerning knee injury at the start of the grass-court season. During her campaign at the Queen’s Club Championships, where she also partnered Serena Williams in doubles, Mboko slipped and fell on the grass during her singles match against Karolína Plíšková. She was forced to retire from the match and subsequently withdrew from the doubles event as well.

A few days later, she revealed that she sustained an injury to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) on her left knee, forcing her to cut short her grass swing. While Mboko would’ve hoped to recover before her hometown tournament, she announced on Tuesday, July 7, that she was not yet fit to compete. In an Instagram post, the teenager described the withdrawal as “deeply disappointing.”

“Everything kind of happened so fast. There were so many emotions going through my mind. It’s only a little setback, and I want to be a better person out of this,” she said in a video.

“Toronto was a tournament that I always went to growing up. The National Bank Open also holds a special place in my heart. Knowing that I won’t be able to play this year is very saddening, but I feel like l have so many more years ahead of me to play this tournament,” the player added.

Mboko received support from her colleagues as Gauff and Kostyuk commented with hearts and teary-eyed emojis. Eva Lys, Peyton Stearns, and compatriot Carson Branstine also shared their feelings.

“We love you, Vicky,” Branstine wrote.

“You’ll be back stronger, babygirl,” American tennis star Sloane Stephens said.

MORE: Victoria Mboko Spotted at Wimbledon Village With Alexandra Eala, Wearing a Knee Brace After Withdrawal

Mboko has yet to announce the date and place of her comeback. After dropping 1000 points from the National Bank Open and 60 points from her run at Washington, D.C., she would hope to compete in the rest of the North American hardcourt swing, where she has virtually no points to defend.