Former American Grand Slam Champion Turns Emotional as She Acknowledges Father’s Contribution for Resurgence

The American Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin is on the road to redemption, trying to find her place in the tennis circuit. The former Australian Open champion faced a slump that caused her to fall outside the top 200 in the WTA rankings. After creating history around three and a half years ago, she is now re-discovering her form and showcasing her fighting spirit.

After making an amazing comeback at Wimbledon, the 24-year-old American tennis player made it to the San Diego Open’s finals. Despite her successful resurgence, the 2020 WTA Player of the Year recently reflected on the missed triumph by bringing up mixed emotions and trying to make a special tribute to her father.

Sofia Kenin opens up about her mixed emotions after a successful comeback to the WTA Tour

Recently, the former world number four faced defeat in the final of the San Diego tournament against Barbora Krejčíková. During the on-court interview, she got emotional and thanked her father, Alexander Kenin, for trusting her with every step of her tennis career.

She said, “I have great memories coming here. Playing at Barnes.. when I won the wildcard, it brings a lot of great memories. I want to thank my dad & everyone for supporting me.”

The 24-year-old tennis star has been interested in tennis since she was young. Her father is the one who trained her in the sport, standing by her side through thick and thin. And now that she is trying to get back on her feet again as an athlete, she got emotional and shared a stirring tribute for her father.

But that’s not it. Kenin was not the only one who talked about her father; there was one more popular face from the tennis arena who talked about Alexander’s behavior during the final. Recently, Pam Shriver highlighted the former Australian Open champion’s father’s actions during the final.

Pam Shriver highlights Sofia Kenin’s father’s abrupt reaction

During Sofia Kenin’s defeat in the 2023 San Diego Open final, her father’s reaction caught the former doubles World number 1 Shriver’s attention. She shared a screenshot on Twitter, showing how Alexander appeared visibly upset with his daughter’s performance and criticized his “disheveled” appearance.

Although the 61-year-old former American tennis player mentioned how the looks of Kenin’s father were inappropriate, she also empathized with him.

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She wrote, “A coach or Dad should not look this disheveled while watching their kid play… especially a final. (Btw don’t show me when my kid is playing a big final at 4-4 in final set! 😉)”. 

What is your take on Sofia’s emotional admiration for her father? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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