When 15-year-old Coco Gauff defeated Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon four years ago and advanced to the round of sixteen, she made her mark on the tennis world. The American, who was widely predicted to win this year, lost in the opening round to a resurgent Sofia Kenin, a former grand slam champion who had fallen from grace. Kenin defeated the American 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on Monday. In tennis, nothing is certain.

The No. 7 seed stated, “I’m really irritated and sad right now.” It motivates me to put in even more effort. Even though it seems like I’ve been working hard, it’s obviously not enough. I must go back to the drawing board and assess my areas of weakness and how to perform the appropriate drills to address them.

“Not enjoyable”: Venus Williams’s attempt to go back in time on the first day of Wimbledon
Continue reading

When Gauff bounced back to tie the match at one set all but world No. 128 on Court No. 1, it appeared as though she had weathered the storm. Kenin, who had to meet the requirements to enter the main draw, displayed incredible bravery to win one of the biggest titles since her 2020 Australian Open triumph.

Kenin remarked, “This means a lot.” “I’m really proud of myself; I had to go through qualifying, I fought there, and I treated this match like any other match.”

After winning the Australian Open and making it to the French Open final, Kenin was cruising to the top of the women’s tennis rankings three years ago.

However, she suffered ankle injuries and had a rocky coaching relationship with her father, which hindered her progress to the point where she was once ranked outside of the top 400.