What happened to Sofia Kenin is NOT unique to the American tennis player. In fact, it is quite common for many athletes to have periods of poor performance following an injury. Sometimes the injury is obvious and sometimes it is not. Despite being top performers, they can struggle with a dip in confidence after injury like everyone.
Top Performance In Sports Is Not Just Physical
“Will the body hold up after the injury?” The strain of mental activity takes a physical and spiritual toll. Their ability to be laser focused gets disrupted by the worry about their physical health. This translates into a distracted athlete, who cannot maintain their focus. In this case, it was the tennis court. Of course, since we know athletes do not play their sports in a vacuum, other factors may add to their mental, emotional, and spiritual burdens.
Dad Back On The Coaching Team Of Sofia Kenin
It is inevitable that when you have a parent as a coach, you eventually get to the point where you want to try someone else. The boundary between parent and coach can blur and sometimes become messy. Sometimes it is an amicable decision and sometimes not. I am sure many of you can recall a few parent-player teams that ended badly. Thus, it is nice to see Kenin’s dad back in her corner on the tennis tour.
Kenin Appears Much Fitter On All Levels
While she lost in the semifinals (5-7, 6-4, 1-6), it is still a significant step up for the American who has been struggling to find her form for about two and a half years. Once ranked as high as number four, Kenin is currently ranked one hundred and forty-three. Yet, there is more to her story than her ranking. Kenin won the Australian Open in 2020. That same year, she was a finalist at Roland Garros. She has had a rough go of things since the latter part of the 2020 season. The question is can she right the ship in 2023? So far, she looks a lot better. Now it is a matter of patience and repetition. Let’s see what happens at the Australian Open.
ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
