Red Rocket Mackenzie continues bid to be world's top-ranked boy
As Jamie Mackenzie continued his challenge to become the world’s top-ranked boy on Monday at Roland Garros, he cited the deeds of his mate Moise Kouame as significant inspiration.
The German finished his second-round clash against Matei Torodan with a flourish, crafting a superb angled forehand drop shot to post a 6-1 6-3 triumph.
When Kouame, 17, made his stunning run to the third round in the men’s singles last week, Roland Garros was rocking with deafening roars of support for the French sensation.
Mackenzie, who has been in superb form on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors by winning the J500 Offenbach and J500 Milan during May, was among those watching Kouame’s progression with interest – and not just because of their friendship.
“A guy like Kouame, he is a really good friend of mine, so it is really good to see him doing well, but it also pushes me to know that, ‘okay I can do that,’” he said.
“Even guys like Jack Kennedy who has been doing really well in the Challengers, I mean, I’ve beaten these guys or been close to it, and it shows me what I can do. It is now about believing it and putting it into perspective.”
As an aside Kennedy, the No.4 seed who reached the final of the Savannah Challenger in April, progressed 7-6(4) 6-2 in his second-round match against Emilio Camacho.
The success of Mackenzie, the No. 3 seed here in Paris, did not draw quite as boisterous a reception as Kouame’s over the past week, but it was well-received as he embraced at least a dozen family members who hail from his native New Zealand.
His family moved to Germany to allow him to further his tennis aspirations at the age of 12 and Mackenzie said he is proud of effectively representing two nations.
“Every single one of those people is in my family. I mean, none of me inherently is German, not a single bit. Everything about me is New Zealand,” he said.
“I was born there, raised there, lived there until I was 12, but Germany is the place that I have trained in, a place that I love and I absolutely love representing them.
“They’ve done some amazing things for me, so I couldn’t be prouder of representing the German flag … with the amount of chances that they’ve given me, the amount of opportunities that can’t be looked past.”
Mackenzie, who leans into his online branding as 'The Red Rocket’ and uses a red racket to match his flame-coloured hair, is embracing the challenges this week presents.
He has been open about his desire to become the No.1 ranked junior and his recent title runs stamped him as a leading contender to match the deeds of Niels McDonald, who last year became the first German to win the Roland Garros boys' singles when beating compatriot Max Schoenhaus.
But Mackenzie felt the burden that comes with expectation in his opening triumph against American Safir Azam when progressing 1-6 6-4 6-2 on Sunday.
“I was down and out yesterday and probably shouldn’t have won that match. I had a lot of nerves with there being a lot of expectations on me,” he said.
“I mean, it’s definitely important, right? Everyone wants to have a number one next to their name. I’m not going to say it doesn’t mean anything.
“It is one of the goals I’ve set. So if I would be able to achieve that, that would be really good. It would be a little bit of weight off my shoulders.
“That is one goal. The second goal is to win a grand slam here. That’s another expectation. And I am super happy I went out there today and played the way I wanted to play.”
A full list of results from the 2026 Roland Garros Junior Championships can be found here