Sofia Kenin talks mental health struggles ahead of AO

A year ago Sofia Kenin burst into the spotlight after winning the Australian Open seemingly out of nowhere.

Now a year later she is preparing to defend her title after which was a very difficult year for not just her but many. She looked forward to competing and building on her result but the season got suspended which had a profound impact on Sofia on and off the court. She explained:

“Last year was supposed to be the best year after winning a slam and then COVID happened. It took a big toll on me and obviously I was quite disappointed. It’s kind of hard to get motivated when constantly every tournament is being cancelled. You see that for four or five months there are no tournaments which makes it really tough.”  

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During that time the American struggled with her motivation despite being able to find ways to play tennis and stay in shape. She played at the Wolrd TeamTennis event but it was not easy:

“It was great but at the beginning, our practices weren’t the best – no motivation. It was quite depressing, to be honest. But my dad knew why I was feeling like this so he obviously helped me."

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After the season resumed she found success once more reaching the French Open final and US Open 4th round. Those accomplishments gave her WTA's Player of the year award which made her proud. Now she will face a new challenge which is defending a title for the first time in her career:

“Definitely a little bit of pressure, for sure. But I’m going to do my best and I’m really looking forward to the challenge as defending champion. It comes with pros and cons but I’m really looking forward to it. I love being at this level and competing with the best players in the world."

She concluded the interview with:

“I cannot wait to see the fans and the energy. All of us are really excited.”