Sofia Kenin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sofia Kenin

Kenin at the 2023 French Open
Full name	Sofia Anna Kenin
Native name	София Александровна Кенинa Sofia Aleksandrovna Kenina
Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Pembroke Pines, Florida
Born	(1998-11-14) November 14, 1998 (age 26) Moscow, Russia
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Turned pro	September 5, 2017
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Alex Kenin, Michael Joyce (2023)
Prize money	US$ 10,096,597
Official website	sonyakenin.com
Singles
Career record	268–187 (58.9%)
Career titles	5
Highest ranking	No. 4 (March 9, 2020)
Current ranking	No. 74 (January 13, 2025)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (2020)
French Open	F (2020)
Wimbledon	3R (2023)
US Open	4R (2020)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (2019)
Doubles
Career record	88–81 (52.07%)
Career titles	4
Highest ranking	No. 26 (August 12, 2021)
Current ranking	No. 27 (September 16, 2024)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	3R (2020)
French Open	QF (2020)
Wimbledon	3R (2024)
US Open	3R (2024)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	F (2018), record 4–5

Sofia Anna "Sonya" Kenin (born November 14, 1998) is an American professional tennis player. She has reached a career-high ranking of world No. 4 in singles. This happened on March 9, 2020. She also reached No. 26 in doubles on August 12, 2024.

Sofia was named the WTA Player of the Year in 2020. This was after she won the 2020 Australian Open. She also finished as a runner-up at the 2020 French Open that year. Kenin has won five singles titles and four doubles titles on the WTA Tour. This includes big wins at the 2019 China Open and 2024 Miami Open in doubles with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

When Sofia was five, she caught the eye of famous coach Rick Macci. She quickly became well-known in the tennis world. Her father was her main coach. Sofia became a top junior player, reaching No. 2 in the world. She won the Orange Bowl at 16. The next year, she was a runner-up at the 2015 US Open in girls' singles. She also won the USTA Girls 18s National Championship.

Sofia joined the professional tour and entered the top 100 in 2018. She won her first three titles in 2019. She ended that year just outside the top 10. By winning the 2020 Australian Open, Sofia became the youngest American to win a major singles title since Serena Williams in 1999. She was also named the WTA Player of the Year for 2020.

Early Life and Tennis Start

Sofia Kenin was born in Moscow, Russia. Her parents are Alexander and Svetlana Kenin. Her family moved to the United States when she was just a few months old. They had lived in New York City before, but went back to Russia for Sofia's birth. This was so other family members could help care for her. Her parents had very little money when they first came to the U.S.

Sofia started playing tennis at age five. She was inspired by her father, who played for fun. Her parents saw her talent. They arranged for her to train with Rick Macci in Florida. Macci coached Sofia for seven years. He said Sofia was "the scariest little creature" he had ever seen at age five. He was amazed by her hand-eye coordination and how quickly she hit the ball. He compared her to former world No. 1 Martina Hingis. Sofia also worked with Nick Bollettieri. Her father has been her main coach for most of her career. Her childhood tennis heroes were Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Sofia admired Sharapova's strong competitive spirit.

Sofia found success in tennis at a young age. This brought her a lot of attention. She even appeared on tennis magazine covers. She started playing in USTA tournaments for girls 10 and under at age seven. She became the top-ranked player in Florida in that group. Later, she was ranked No. 1 nationally in all age groups up to 18. Sofia met many famous tennis players when she was young. She hit with Anna Kournikova at age seven. She also played in an exhibition match with Jim Courier against Venus Williams and Todd Martin. Kim Clijsters even gave her a tour of the Miami Open.

Junior Career Highlights

Kenin with the USTA Girls' 18s National Championship trophy

Sofia Kenin reached a high ranking of No. 2 in the world for junior players. She started playing in junior tournaments in 2012 when she was 13. She won her first singles and doubles titles in 2013. Later that year, she reached the semifinals in singles at the Orange Bowl.

In 2014, Sofia played in her first junior Grand Slam events. After the US Open, she helped the United States team win the Junior Fed Cup. She won all her doubles matches. Her big win came at the end of 2014 when she won the Orange Bowl.

In 2015, Sofia won the USTA International Spring Championships. That summer, she won the USTA Girls 18s National Championship. This win earned her a special entry into the main draw of the 2015 US Open. She also played in the junior event at the US Open. She finished as a runner-up, which was her best junior Grand Slam result. This helped her reach No. 2 in the world by the end of 2015.

Professional Journey

2013–2017: Early Steps and US Open Debut

Kenin at the 2015 US Open

Sofia started playing professional tournaments in 2013 at age 14. She won her first two pro matches. In 2015, she made her Grand Slam debut at the US Open. She got a special entry from winning a junior championship.

In 2016, Sofia won her first two professional titles. One helped her earn another special entry into the US Open. In 2017, Sofia's ranking steadily improved. She won another title and was a runner-up at another event. These results helped her get a special entry into the US Open for the second year. At the 2017 US Open, she won her first Grand Slam matches. She reached the third round before losing to Maria Sharapova. After this success, Sofia decided to become a professional player in September. She ended 2017 ranked No. 108 in the world.

2018: Breaking into the Top 50

With her higher ranking, Sofia played mostly on the WTA Tour in 2018. She reached her first WTA quarterfinal in Auckland. In March, she entered the top 100 after playing well at big tournaments. She reached her first WTA semifinal on grass in Mallorca. There, she beat world No. 6, Caroline Garcia, for her first win against a top-ten player. She also won her first match at Wimbledon.

Later in 2018, Sofia reached the third round of the US Open again. She also beat world No. 10, Julia Görges, in Wuhan. This was her second top-ten win of the year. She then entered the top 50 for the first time.

2019: Three WTA Titles and Big Wins

Sofia had a great year in 2019. She started outside the top 50 and ended near the top ten. She won her first WTA doubles title in Auckland. The next week, she won her first WTA singles title in Hobart. She didn't lose a single set in that tournament. This success moved her to a career-best ranking of No. 37.

At the French Open, she reached the fourth round. She famously beat world No. 10, Serena Williams, in the third round. This was a huge win for her. On grass, Sofia won her second WTA singles title in Mallorca. She saved three match points in the final to win.

During the summer, she reached the semifinals at two big tournaments. She beat the current world No. 1 players, Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka, in back-to-back weeks. This made her the first player to do so since 2001. Sofia won her third singles title of the year in Guangzhou. She also won her second doubles title at the China Open with Bethanie Mattek-Sands. She ended 2019 ranked No. 14 in singles. She also won the WTA award for Most Improved Player of the Year.

2020: Australian Open Champion and World No. 4

Sofia continued her success into 2020. She won the Australian Open, which was her first Grand Slam singles title. She beat world No. 1 Ash Barty in the semifinal. Then she defeated Garbiñe Muguruza in the final. At 21, she became the youngest American woman to win a major singles title since Serena Williams in 2002. She also became the youngest American to enter the top ten, rising to No. 7.

Sofia won another title at the Lyon Open. This was her last event before the tennis tour stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At this point, she was ranked No. 4 in the world, her highest ranking ever.

When the tour restarted, Sofia played at the US Open. She reached the fourth round, her best result there. She then played at the French Open. She won four tough three-set matches. She beat No. 11, Petra Kvitová, in the semifinals. She lost the final to Iga Świątek. At the end of the year, Sofia was named the WTA Player of the Year.

2021-2022: Challenges and Injuries

Kenin at the 2021 French Open

Sofia started 2021 as the defending champion at the Australian Open. However, she lost in the second round. This was the earliest a defending champion had lost there since 2003. Sofia later said the pressure of defending her title was very hard. She also lost to a much lower-ranked player at another event.

Sofia had to withdraw from many tournaments due to appendicitis. She returned to play but struggled with her form. She reached the fourth round of the French Open. In May 2021, Sofia announced that her father would no longer be her coach. She later brought him back to her team in November 2021. She finished 2021 ranked No. 12.

In 2022, Sofia faced more challenges. She lost in the first round of the Australian Open. Her ranking dropped to No. 95. She then had an injury and missed many tournaments, including the French Open and Wimbledon. Her ranking fell outside the top 300. She ended 2022 ranked No. 235.

2023: Comeback and Top 30 Return

Sofia began 2023 by reaching her first semifinal since 2020 at the Hobart International. She also got her first top-20 win since 2020 at the Qatar Ladies Open. At the Miami Open, she reached the third round. This helped her move back into the top 150.

At the Italian Open, Sofia had a big win. She defeated world No. 2, Aryna Sabalenka. This was her first top-5 win since beating Ashleigh Barty at the 2020 Australian Open. She then qualified for Wimbledon. In the first round, she beat seventh seed Coco Gauff.

Sofia reached her first singles final since 2020 at the San Diego Open. She then made it to her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2019 at the Guadalajara Open. She reached the semifinal there, which was only her third at this level. As a result, she moved up to world No. 31. She returned to the top 30 in October 2023.

2024: Miami Open Doubles Champion

Sofia started 2024 by losing in the first round of the Australian Open to top seed Iga Świątek.

In doubles, she partnered with Bethanie Mattek-Sands. They won the Abu Dhabi Open. They then won the Miami Open as alternates. This brought her back into the top 50 in doubles. In singles, she beat eighth seed Ons Jabeur at the Italian Open. This was her first top 10 win of the season.

At the French Open, she reached the third round. She beat 21st seed Caroline Garcia. At Wimbledon, she lost in the first round to world No. 1, Iga Świątek. At the US Open, she beat Emma Raducanu but lost in the second round. In October, she reached her first singles semifinal in over a year at the Pan Pacific Open. She then reached the final, moving back into the top 100.

2025: Hobart Quarterfinal

Sofia reached the quarterfinals at the Hobart International.

Playing Style

Sofia Kenin has an aggressive playing style. She uses many different shots, not just power. She plays mostly from the back of the court. She can hit winning shots with both her forehand and backhand. She is good at hiding where her backhand will go. Her backhand down the line and inside-in forehand are two of her best shots.

Sofia can also add spin to her backhand. She uses this to hit clever drop shot winners. Sometimes, she even hits forehand slices, which is rare in modern tennis. Her childhood coach, Rick Macci, praised her determination. He called her "the mosquito" because she's always there, bothering her opponents. Macci also said her timing is amazing. She can hit the ball very early after it bounces. This allows her to create sharp angles that pull opponents off the court. Sofia has a unique serving motion where she looks down when she tosses the ball.

Endorsements

From 2018 to 2022, Sofia was sponsored by Fila for her clothes and shoes. Before that, she was with Nike. Since 2022, she has been sponsored by Free People Movement. Her racket sponsor is Babolat, and she uses the Pure Drive model. In 2021, Sofia also signed deals with Motorola and KT Tape.

Images for kids

• 

  Kenin (right) with the 2014 Junior Fed Cup champion United States team

• 

  Kenin (left) and Barbora Strýcová in the 2018 Fed Cup final

See also

In Spanish: Sofia Kenin para niños

• List of select Jewish tennis players