Loïs Boisson is the sensation of Roland Garros. The French number 361 in the world reached the semi-finals of the Grand Slam tournament in Paris on Wednesday. She tries to remain sober, however difficult that is.
France can’t get enough of Boisson’s story these days. The 22-year-old tennis player from Dijon was a complete unknown a week and a half ago, but is now only one match away from the Roland Garros final. On Thursday she will meet Coco Gauff (WTA-2) in the semi-final.
“I wouldn’t want to call my performances here a miracle,” Boisson said on Wednesday, looking back on her sensational rise on the gravel in Paris. “Of course, there is always a bit of luck involved. But I mainly see this as the result of years of hard work.”
In the match against Gauff, the French public will again be on Boisson’s side, as was the case in her quarter-final against world-class Mirra Andreeva. “That doesn’t give me any extra pressure,” Boisson said after her victory in two sets.
“I like to play to the crowd. I love hearing my name when I make a nice point. That’s just a bonus. But I can imagine it’s a different story for my non-French opponents.”
Rising like a comet
“Of course I dreamed of this as a child,” Boisson continued. “Every young tennis player dreams of performing well at a Grand Slam tournament. And for French children, that dream is about Roland Garros.”
Boisson was 152nd in the world rankings a year ago. Due to a serious knee injury, she fell back to 361st place. She received a wildcard for Roland Garros, where she is having an unparalleled campaign. In addition to Andreeva (WTA-6), she defeated Jessica Pegula (WTA-3), among others.
Thanks to her semi-final spot – and possibly more – Boisson will rise like a comet in the world rankings. She is currently virtually in 65th place. She has already secured the wildcard for Wimbledon, which starts at the end of this month.
“I don’t want to look that far ahead,” Boisson said. “That ranking, Wimbledon… I’m trying to keep my focus on this tournament. I’m going to prepare for the match against Gauff the same as always. As far as that’s concerned, it doesn’t matter whether I’m playing the number three hundred in the world or the number two.”