	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 1, 2019

Sofia Kenin

Wimbledon, London, England

S. KENIN/A. Sharma

6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How would you describe the experience today and how you're playing?
SOFIA KENIN: Pretty solid. I think it's a good first round, and, yeah, I'm happy with the way I was playing. I didn't show too much nerves, which was good.

Yeah, I just feel like I went out there and I just had a solid match and that's always good for a first round here.

Q. What is the mental challenge to not have nerves affect you?
SOFIA KENIN: Yeah, that's obviously a challenge. It's not easy. But I guess you've got to take your time and not overthink things and just take one point at a time. Something, towel off, take some deep breaths, just pull yourself together basically.

Q. How, for you, is the transition from clay to this very brief time on grass?
SOFIA KENIN: Well, at the beginning, it wasn't so great because I hit at Fisher Island. The courts are really good there, and I was really happy to hit there.

Yeah, the transition wasn't so easy, you know, going from clay where you're going to grind every point going to grass where the ball is literally skidding and everything is so fast. But I know grass is my surface, and I wasn't too worried after that.

When I got to Mallorca, I had some good practices, and obviously I won there, which was very good, and leading up to Wimbledon, which is, yeah, gives me a lot of confidence and I'm hoping to keep it going.

Q. When you say grass is your surface, tell me more about that. Why is that? What about your game works well on grass? Why does that suit you?
SOFIA KENIN: Well, I'm aggressive, and I like to take the ball early. You know, sometimes throw in some slices, dropshots, and the ball is low. No one likes when the ball is coming, like, really fast and low. That's obviously really good. I feel like I'm serving really well on grass, so gonna keep that up, yeah.

Q. Has there been anything special that's happened to you since you arrived in Paris and had this great run that you're on?
SOFIA KENIN: Well, I had a great match against Serena and then a tough one against Ash. Yeah, I just think I'm playing really well throughout the year.

You know, I have had two titles behind my belt, two titles I won, in Hobart and just now in Mallorca. I guess the confidence, the way I'm feeling, I feel like I belong there and improving it. I have always just known I belong there and I can compete at the highest level with the best players in the world.

Q. Some players when they get to that stage start to get cold feet or feeling nerves because other players are gunning for them. What's your feeling? Is it firing you up? Is it giving you...
SOFIA KENIN: Motivation?

Q. Anxiety or motivation? Balance between those things?
SOFIA KENIN: It gives me motivation. It means, like, if people are looking up to me it means I'm playing well. I want to keep it like that. I want to have responsibility. It's always good to have that kind of pressure where you're expected to do well because you're playing at a high level.

I'm just trying to not let it get into my head and feeling the nerves. So I think I'm doing a good job of that.

Q. You said you always knew. How did you always know?
SOFIA KENIN: I guess as I started beating up on girls when I was, like, when I started playing, you know, they were so much taller than me. I was always small when I was little. As we started playing bigger tournaments, then I was doing well. I have, like, 12 gold balls from the -- my friend was, like, You're gonna have four, like winning a Grand Slam. He would joke around with that.

As I got into the pro level, I was playing well, I was doing well in the circuits, I got myself up to here, and my ranking is going up, which is really good.

I'm just beating really good players. That's proving it to myself and that I can do it.

Q. How does it affect your belief when you see so many different players have won in the last group of majors, nine different players in the last ten majors?
SOFIA KENIN: Well, it means that anything is possible. It's showing you that you can beat anybody on any given day, and you've got to be there to take it. It's obviously worked for so many people, and hopefully I will be the next one.

Q. Being small is one thing in the 14s and 16s and stuff.
SOFIA KENIN: Yes.

Q. It's something else when you're out there against Pliskovas and the Serenas and people who are eight or ten years older but bigger, stronger. How do you deal with that? Were you concerned about that as you were breaking into the pros? How far could I go with my physical dimensions and power, et cetera?
SOFIA KENIN: I mean, I always knew I had the game. I knew I wasn't the tallest. Now I'm fine, which is good. I'm good now.

But, yeah, I know they obviously have bigger serves and they're more powerful. But I know my game is well and I can play with them. Obviously I have proven it. I beat Serena. I had a very tough match with Karolina in Rome, gave her a hard time. Should have went my way but it's fine.

Q. What enables you to be able to compete with them at such a high level? Is it a mental thing at some point?
SOFIA KENIN: I think, yeah, a little mental. I'm trying to keep my nerves and just trying not to show too much negativity during my match, you know. I have still got to improve, of course. With them, you've got to have the game, you gotta be physically and mentally prepared to fight out there, because they're not going to give you anything. So you've got to be there.

Q. In what ways might that match against Serena be a pivotal moment in your career, do you think?
SOFIA KENIN: Sorry?

Q. In what ways do you think that match against Serena, that victory you just alluded to, might it be pivotal in your career?
SOFIA KENIN: I think it's just, it gives me so much confidence. It just meant so much to play against such a top player like Serena who has done so many great things for American tennis.

Yeah, she's my idol, and that's why I just felt so much emotions to win. Yeah, it just gave me more confidence, and I feel like I can do anything if I'm playing really well.

Q. Any athletes you looked up to in other sports?
SOFIA KENIN: No.

Q. Just tennis?
SOFIA KENIN: Yeah, just tennis.

Q. Just Serena?
SOFIA KENIN: Serena, Maria, Kirilenko, Kim Clijsters, all of those great players.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297