via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 9, 2021 Sofia Kenin of the U.S. after winning her first round match against Australia’s Maddison Inglis REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 9, 2021 Sofia Kenin of the U.S. after winning her first round match against Australia’s Maddison Inglis REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
World No. 4 Sofia Kenin is competing at the 2021 WTA Volvo Car Open in Charleston. In her opening round match, she will take on fellow American tennis player Lauren Davis. Both players have faced each other twice and have won a match each.
Recently, Sofia Kenin reflected on dealing with pressure after winning a Grand Slam title. It is not an easy thing to deal with it, and eventually, it does take a toll on an athlete. The better a player performs, the more attention and focus they receive.
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 11, 2021 Sofia Kenin of the U.S. before her second round match against Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Taking note of this, Kenin told EssentiallySports, “It’s not easy, I definitely feel the pressure. But you know, you got to live the pressure. This is a sport, the better you’re playing, the more attention you are getting. The more from you know, the outside is obviously going to be expecting you to do well. Fans, everyone around me. So I’m trying to somehow handle it.”
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Sofia Kenin could not match last season’s results in Melbourne this year
Sofia competed at the Australian Open this season as the defending champion. Unfortunately, she couldn’t repeat last season’s heroics and lost in the second round in Melbourne this year. She had a hard time handling her emotions and has now decided to take things one match at a time.
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via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 9, 2021 Sofia Kenin of the U.S. with Australia’s Maddison Inglis after their first round match REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Reflecting on this matter, the American player further stated, “Did not do the best, handling it in January, coming off, wasn’t the best Australian Open for me. So obviously, kind of got to me. Wasn’t the best way of handling my emotions & everything. So now I’m just gonna take one match at a time and try to get as much match play as I can.”
In the previous season, Kenin enjoyed a fair amount of success. After winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, she was the finalist at Roland Garros. During the season, she achieved a career-best ranking of being the World No. 4. She ended the season on a great note and was named WTA Player of the Year.
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At the moment, she is competing at the WTA Volvo Car Open 2021 and will play her first match tomorrow.
Also Read: “Always Have Good Hits”: Sloane Stephens Hails Practice Partner Sofia Kenin at WTA Charleston 2021
