ATHLEISURE MAG #67 JUL 2021 | For the Love of the Game

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

Sofia Kenin

The summer has a number of events that are on our calendar whether we're there in person or watching it on TV. The US Open happens to be one of those events that we enjoy here in NY as well as attending events around it from the Taste of Tennis and a series of media events - it's always an exciting time to see the best in the sport. We're excited for this month's cover, Sofia Kenin who has 5 WTA Singles Titles, 2 WTA Doubles Titles, WTA 4th ranked as well as the Reigning WTA Player of the Year! With a Grand Slam under her belt as the 2020 Australian Open Champion and making the finals at the French Open last year, we are excited to see how she continues to rock it in the sport! We talk about how she got into the sport, preparing for tournaments and how she takes time to enjoy the journey when traveling around the world to play as well as taking it all in as a tourist. ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with tennis and at what point did you realize that you wanted to go pro?

SOFIA KENIN: I fell in love with tennis at a very young age. I started playing tennis at the age of 5 and I was watching all of these pros and I was really looking up to them. I was like, around 6 years old and that’s when my dad took me to the Miami Open and that was the video that was going all around you know, when Kim Clijsters took me all around the site and of course, I was really excited since I was such a young girl at the time to see the press conferences, to be walking around and looking at the stadium. That’s when I knew that I wanted to be a professional tennis player. I just had a big dream.

AM: What is it about the sport that draws you to it?

SK: Everything about tennis is such a great sport! It’s physical and it’s a great mental sport where you have to have toughness to play it. Of course, you get to travel around the world to see so many beautiful countries, you stay at the best hotels, the food of course, going out - of course when there wasn’t a bubble and you could explore the city. Of course, there are all the opportunities that come with it and the competition as well! You’re able to do sports interviews, you have a team around you for the matches and when you walk on the court, it’s up to you so that you can compete and leave it all out there.

AM: Our readers, and ourselves included, love watching tennis because it is fun to see our favorites traveling around the world. When it comes to training and prep, can you walk us through what a day or a week looks like in terms of practicing and working out due to an upcoming tournament?

SK: I typically practice tennis twice a day 1 and a half hour practice sessions and after that, of course lunch and recovery with some of my KT Tape. Then, I’m back with my trainer for another couple of hours and recovery is very important in my daily life. I have to maintain a good recovery so that I can do my best during the training week and upcoming tournaments.

AM: What are your go-to workouts that you do that optimize you in tennis?

SK: Sprints, drills, agility, core – a little bit of that. Of course, weights in the gym.

AM: In terms of the tennis season, when does it start and end for you?

SK: Well of course, everything has changed with the whole pandemic! Typically, the tournaments start in January in Australia which has big travel days and everything which is where I won Australia! Of course, there are all those tournaments after that and it finishes off in Asia in the fall. But the end of the season this year, will be in Indian Wells which I can’t complain because I love Indian Wells – but we usually finish our season in Asia.

AM: What is your off season like? What do you do during that time? Are you still training or do you take time for yourself to realign everything?

SK: Of course, there is a lot of training and that’s when you have to build up physically and mentally and you do have to find some downtime. It’s not all about tennis, you’re traveling on the weeks and you obviously want to have some downtime to just go hang out with my friends, some time with my family, to go to the beach, to do some shopping! I love being able to hang out in the sun and to have time in the water and to be able to work on my tan as I can’t really do that all year. So I have about a month or so to get that tan and I need to use that time.

AM: It’s always fun to see singles and doubles matches because it’s interesting to see how a player has these different dynamics when playing each one. When you’re playing, is there a different approach to when you’re playing a singles match versus a doubles?

SK: Of course, singles you’re kind of on your own and the court is wide open as you need to be able to move around a lot. But doubles, you’re with your partner and it’s my friends and you’re having a good time, you don’t have to be as serious as you do for singles, but of course you still want to be able to do well. Doubles requires that you have to have a really good connection with your partner and really good hands at the net, because both players are tough and you know that they have really good hands at the net. They know how to do I-formation. You can tell the difference between a doubles player and those that just want to have fun and play which would be me. It’s fun playing doubles, I like it!

AM: It’s funny because when I worked at Lacoste HQ, our department would play tennis in the summers as a fun way to connect. I wasn’t concerned about the singles play, I was ok with that – I’m not a professional by any means, but the doubles! I always wondered how people were able to play this as I was always anxious about where I was standing and where my partner was, it was terrifying!

SK: It can be scary sometimes especially when the ball is coming to the net and then you’re like, “oh my God, am I going to get hit in the face?”

AM: Seriously!

SK: Right, nowadays, you hit the ball around as you’d rather hit it out, then hit your opponents.

AM: Over the past 18 months, we’ve interviewed a number of athletes and recording artists about how they were able to be creative or still active in their sport during the pandemic. We found that many of them had really creative ways that they were able to stay in shape. Did you have anything like that for last year that you had to navigate due to not being able to access certain courts or things like that?

SK: Of course! It was really difficult for everyone! We were traveling and had safe bubbles when we were participating in our tournaments as we could only go to the hotel and straight to the tournament site. Obviously that was not the most fun thing, but ok – that’s what we had to do. It’s hard to be on the road for weeks and months at a time without being able to walk or to explore the beautiful city or Mother Nature.

Over time, I have learned that small things have been working for me. I started a new TV show that I enjoy watching and I had a few, but I started watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians or I would play some music on Spotify.

AM: Even with last year being such a tough year for so many of us in various ways, you were literally killing it! You won the Australian Open, you were a finalist at the French Open – what was it like to have that kind of achievement taking place?

SK: It was absolutely amazing and I could never describe those moments. It was the highlight of my career. It has been a dream of mine to win a Grand Slam and I was completely speechless when I won. A few tournaments that happened after that, I didn’t win, but I am only human and it happens to everyone. When you win a Grand Slam, it’s exciting and you feel a lot of pressure after that and the expectations of those from the outside and I was able to somehow find myself back and I was able to close off the year as a French Open finalist! It was nice and I was happy for the way that I was able to come back, play tennis and to be able to prove to myself that I won a Grand Slam and that it wasn’t by accident. Unfortunately, I wish that I had won the French Open, but I got to the finals and not too many people can say that. I just hope that I can continue and that I will have many more Grand Slams under my belt.

AM: For sure, I mean your stats and what you have accomplished is really phenomenal. Being ranked 4th in the WTA, being the top American in singles – that is such an amazing feat to have! What are your goals for the remainder of the season or what you’re looking forward to in terms of next year.

SK: Number 1 is to stay healthy. We always downplay it and we look at tennis, tennis, but health is #1 and you can’t buy it. With all of these tournaments being back-toback, players can have injuries right now. It’s a great part of the season because we’re back in North America and playing in front of the US fans and I’m excited to be able to compete and to get back into my matches and hopefully continue to make more memories and getting more into the spotlight, I guess!

AM: With the remainder of the season, do you have a favorite upcoming tournament that is always your favorite to go into?

SK: I like all of them, but I’m obviously looking forward to the US Open. I love the fans, I love NYC and I love being there. I look forward to after the pandemic being able to enjoy seeing the city, being able to walk down 5th Ave and to see all of the people and the beautiful city.

AM: When you’re looking at your IG, of course we know you’re focused on your game, but it’s cool to see you enjoying being a tourist in the city that you’re competing in! What are your 3 favorite cities that you love to be in whether you’re shopping or eating?

SK: Thank you for saying that I’m a tourist, because I love being that and when you’re shopping, you can never go wrong in Paris, Rome or NY, it’s one of the most beautiful cities. You can do really great shopping there as they are my favorites and they have the best food!

AM: We love talking about a number of verticals from sports, travel etc. As the Style Director and fashion stylist, fashion and personal style are of interest to me as well as Athleisure Mag! I love the bold personal statements that you have made in your looks. How would you define your personal style?

SK: I think fashion is super fun and I enjoy it! I have always wanted to be a fashion designer, maybe not drawing as I don’t have the best hands for that, but being able to put pieces together as a fashion stylist. I’m easy going. I like nice dresses, I like casual wear and of course I’m not afraid to wear colors or designs. I wear a little bit of everything. Of course, I like to wear the nice top designers and I try to shop there nowadays – not trying to be spoiled or anything, but I do like keeping up with the fashion.

AM: We know you’re sponsored by FILA and in looking at your looks from last season, I love the Heritage Collection (Fall Heritage Dress) that you wore as well as Mad For Plaid (Print Racer Tank and Plaid Flared Skirt), what does it mean to have them as a sponsor and do you foresee designing a capsule collection with them?

SK: First of all, I really love the Heritage Collection as well! It’s such a great and prestigious brand and I really love that they have done such a great job in designing my clothes and we have such a great relationship. I’m really lucky to have them as my sponsors. They are super supportive of me and have always been there for me and have allowed me to be my authentic self. They also have great lifestyle clothes as well which I have obviously been asking for them to send me some outfits and shoes. It fits with my style and it’s great working with them. Once I start getting back and playing better, there is an option where maybe I can design something of my own! But right now, I enjoy what we’re doing now and maybe after my tennis career, down the road, I could be a fashion stylist or something of that nature as fashion can always come back!

AM: We talked a bit earlier about KT Tape. Why do you feel there was such a synergy between you and the brand and that it made sense for them to be a sponsor for you?

SK: It’s a great product for recovery and many people don’t realize how important recovery is. As a professional athlete, I believe that KT Tape as a brand and a company is one that fits authentically into my life. I love using products such as KT Tape Cold Massage Roller and the KT Recovery+ Pain Relief Gel Roll-On. I’m super proud to be part of that brand.

AM: Couldn’t agree more. We find when we’re at photoshoots, press junkets, media events, attending NY Fashion Week and music festivals, their KT Performance+ Blister Treatment Patch and BFF Blister Prevention Tape is something that the team enjoys using so we can continue to stay on our feet and do the job that we need to do! You have such a passion for the sport, do you do anything to give of your time to assist the community or to work with kids that are drawn to tennis?

the younger generation as I know that they look up to me. I participate in a number of activities in every tournament which I’m invited to. I love doing that. It’s a bit early in my career and a lot of players have their foundations and I help them in whatever way that I can.

AM: You’re currently the WTA Player of the Year. What do you want your legacy to be in this sport?

SK: Well I just want to keep playing and continue to enjoy myself. I want to win more Grand Slam titles. I’m 22 years old so I haven’t thought about my legacy, but I definitely want to be a role model to young girls that want to be a tennis player one day. I want them to remember my name and remember me as I have looked up to Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova – everyone that I have looked up to. They inspired me and I want to be someone like that for those coming up. I’d love to be an icon and maybe be the next Serena Williams, but maybe let me get a few more Grand Slams or be like the 3 GOATS Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic who have all won 20 Grand Slams which is pretty incredible! If it’s possible, I will take it!

AM: You're still in your season so when you’re not on the court, how do you take time for yourself?

SK: Of course shopping because I love it and I’m crazy about it! I love to have dinner with my friends and family, going to the beach or I can stay in bed all day and just watch Netflix and Hulu and just relax!

@Sofia.Kenin PHOTOS COURTESY | Front Cover, PG 21 + 22 KT TAPE | PG 16 -18, 25 + Back Cover Sofia Kenin |