An ecstatic Sofia Kenin kisses her maiden Australian Open title on Saturday. (Getty Images)
It has been a whirlwind couple of months for Sofia Kenin as she won the Australian Open and helped the USA to a Fed Cup win too.
The 21-year-old won her first Grand Slam a couple of weeks ago but didn’t waste time.
She joined the American team for the Fed Cup and believes her packed schedule has helped her (h/t The National):
“I think it was better I played Fed Cup instead of take a few days off.
“I feel like I have more rhythm and I kept the momentum going. Hopefully, it’s going to help me here.”
Although she isn’t the top seed in the tournament, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will be a big test for the American.
However, becoming a Grand Slam winner carries its own baggage. There is a huge target on your back and there is a different pressure on her.
Kenin isn’t worried about the baggage that comes with the win and claimed that expectations are a little different now:
“For me, I’m always hard on myself. Every tournament I go to, I obviously want to do well, so it’s nothing really different.
“The other expectations are a little bit different. I’ve got to somehow figure out how to manage it. We’ll see.”
The American might be one of the top stars for the competition, however, she faces two tough rivals.
Simona Halep has won the title in 2015 while Elina Svitolina also has two titles under her belt.
Kenin shouldn’t be worried about taking other rivals on, but there are some big names on show.
Belinda Bencic also won the title last season, and the Swiss star could be a thorn in Kenin’s side.
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