Sofia Kenin poses for a photo with her Australian Open title on Saturday. (Getty Images)
New Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin might not be the tallest player in the world, but she sure packs a punch.
The 21-year-old won her first Grand Slam by defeating Garbine Muguruza in the 2020 Australian Open, and she was great value for the win too.
Kenin defeated some big names, such as Ash Barty, en-route to the final, and came from a set down to seal her victory.
There were some great moments in the press conference after the match, and one reporter caught Kenin out as the champion’s height was compared to Lindsay Davenport.
The former tennis star also won several Grand Slams as a singles and doubles competitor, and there were a few laughs in the room.
Kenin too laughed out and went on to say that Davenport was really tall, but the reporter followed that up by asking if she ever was worried about her height or lack of it.
The 21-year-old is way shorter than Davenport and isn’t the tallest in the women’s circuit, but Kenin was confident in her abilities:
“No, I didn’t think anything about my height, obviously, I was short back then but now I’m fine, and size doesn’t matter at this point.
“You can play at any level and you can make incredible things happen. Size doesn’t matter, it matters how tough you are and just mental toughness.”
Kenin was right in suggesting that toughness counts in the end and the American had to show all of that in the final.
She was a set down to the two-time Grand Slam winner Muguruza but fought back to win her first Slam.
The American also spoke about how superstitious her mother is and that she doesn’t watch any of Kenin’s matches.
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Kenin added that wanted to win more Grand Slams but now, it was the time to part.
