In many ways this has been a breakthrough season for Denmark’s Rebecca Munk Mortensen and she can trace her upturn in fortunes to a conversation in leafy Frederiksberg in August 2022.

Munk Mortensen ended up topping the podium at W15 Frederiksberg to claim her first professional title, but it was not the triumph itself which has fuelled her progress, rather a chat with her coaches following a gruelling second-round tie.

The teenager had just endured a three-and-a-half-hour battle with Italy’s Giulia Carbonaro during which she showcased a host of familiar traits. In short, she was incredibly hard on herself every time she lost a point and such an approach was proving counterproductive.

Her coaches urged her to be less self-depricating and adopt a more realistic approach to the game, which she duly did and it paid an immediate dividend. She has persevered with this newfound mindset ever since.

In the intervening period, Munk Mortensen has proceeded to find her feet and really establish herself, winning the biggest junior title of her career at J300 Villena in March and reaching the Roland Garros quarter-finals last month.

After defeating home favourite Ella McDonald 7-5 6-3 at Wimbledon’s Junior Championships, Munk Mortensen will now take her place in the third round – the latest success following that epiphanic moment in Frederiksberg.

“In the past I put too much pressure on myself and had unreal expectations of what I could do and the level I was at,” Munk Mortensen tells itftennis.com.

“I remember playing a match [at W15 Frederiksberg] and I played some really good tennis, but every time I lost a point I would be so hard on myself. After that match, I had a really long talk with my coaches and they told me to stop dragging myself down when I lost a point.

“After that talk, I went out and played much better the next round. I was really happy with my game and I started enjoying my tennis more. This is when I realised there was no need to put so much pressure on myself and that it is okay to lose a few points every now and again.

“Now that I have found my game, found how I need to play and don’t put too much pressure on myself, I am playing way better. It is all about finding a perfect balance because when I have that, I am calmer and I play way better.

“The mental side of things is really important to me, and I really enjoy having, for instance, friends outside of tennis who I can go back to when I'm not doing my best, so my whole life is not tennis. This helps me grow mentally, evolve and mature.”

After safely securing her passage to round three, Munk Mortensen was keen to catch a glimpse of fellow countryman Holger Rune and his round of 16 showdown with Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov on Court No. 1.

Rune continues to fly the flag for Denmark on the world stage and seeing someone from her nation emerge from junior tennis and work his way to No. 6 in the ATP Rankings is an enormous source of inspiration.

There are others who Munk Mortensen admires and hopes to emulate in the coming years, the likes of Clara Tauson who last year reached a career-high No. 33 in the WTA Rankings. 

“Having someone to look up to is really important and it is something that has helped me to grow,” said Munk Mortensen.

“I have looked up to players like Caroline Wozniacki, who is making her comeback now, and also players like Clara Tauson, who has done really well. Holger, meanwhile, has shown that it is possible to come from a small country like Denmark and make it to the Top 10.

“But it is Clara who I talk to a lot. She is close to my age and we have played together on Denmark’s Billie Jean King Cup team. She is a very nice girl and has taught me a lot about what life is like on Tour.

“Whether it is playing here at Wimbledon or talking to players already doing well, I am taking in all of these experiences and using them to grow my game and to grow as a person so I can start well when I go pro.”

A full list of results from the 2023 Junior Championships, Wimbledon is available here.