"She lacks some reference points on grass," Parmentier reacts to Boisson's defeat at Wimbledon
Top seed in the Wimbledon qualifiers, Loïs Boisson failed to advance to the main draw. The 22-year-old Frenchwoman, now ranked 65th in the world but forced to go through qualifying after her wild card request was denied, couldn't capitalize on the momentum from her outstanding Roland-Garros performance.
Returning in recent months after a serious knee injury, Boisson had made a name for herself by reaching the semifinals in Paris, defeating three seeded players—Elise Mertens, Jessica Pegula, and Mirra Andreeva—on her way, all while ranked outside the top 360.
In a tight match, the Dijon native ultimately fell to Canadian player Carson Branstine, ranked 197th (6-2, 6-7, 6-4 in 1h54). Pauline Parmentier, head of women's projects for the French Tennis Federation, discussed Boisson's defeat with *L'Équipe*. She believes Boisson needs time to adjust to grass, a surface she is less familiar with compared to clay.
"A first match on grass is never easy. It was her first match since Roland-Garros, in completely different conditions, with quite a bit of wind. On the other side, Branstine caused her problems—she served well.
"Still, she was very close to turning the match around. I think she lacks some reference points on grass, a few benchmark matches to build confidence in moving forward on the court when she has the opportunity.
"It's not simple to bounce back immediately after everything that’s happened, but I still think the match was pretty good overall. She needs to find her footing on grass; there are adjustments to make on this surface relative to her game.
"She likes having time, playing from the baseline, but I also think she has the tools to take the ball a bit earlier and slide in a few more drop shots. I believe she has the qualities to play really well on grass if she can get two or three benchmark matches to build confidence on this surface, which is psychologically challenging.
"She just needs a bit more time on this surface. She couldn’t play a tournament right before because, with her ranking, she didn’t qualify. Grass—even if you train—it’s the matches that give you the reference points.
"But I think she’s recovered well since Roland-Garros, she’s physically fresh, and she has a great schedule ahead of her all summer," explained the former world No. 40.
Wimbledon 
