The WTA Tour can be a minefield for any player, whether they are competing in Grand Slams or Challenger events.
Rankings chop and change from week to week, meaning the slightest injury or unscheduled absence can result in severe effects.
Many have found success before plummeting to relative obscurity. Take Eugenie Bouchard for example – a brilliant player who reached the final of Wimbledon 2014, only to struggle to reach the same heights thereafter.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Another player who has won the Australian Open also struggled with a major fall down the rankings before clawing her way back to the top.
Sofia Kenin says she did not have doubts after falling to 426 in the world
Sofia Kenin was on top of the world in 2020.
The Russian-born American was the 14th seed heading into the 2020 Australian Open. She proceeded to stun the field by winning the whole tournament.
Kenin even managed to follow up her superb triumph by reaching the final of the French Open in the very same year.
However, things swiftly changed for the American. She struggled with form and injuries throughout 2021 and 2022, with her ranking dropping out of the top 300.
In fact, her ranking plummeted to 426 on July 11, 2022 and she finished that year ranked 235.
However, Kenin was resilient, making her way back up the rankings. She currently sits at 26 in the world and could improve her ranking further if she performs well at the Washington Open.
During her post-match press conference after defeating Hailey Baptiste, Kenin was asked what the ‘key’ may be to winning more and returning to her former heights.
Kenin said: “Yeah, definitely, I’m very happy with the ranking. It definitely gives me a lot of room to breathe, knowing I’m seeded, good chances I can be deeper in the tournaments.
Yeah, confidence is the key to the matches. I felt like I needed to grind through that, prove to myself again that I should be there and belong there. I’m really happy and just proud of myself.
Kenin was then asked whether she had any doubts about returning to this level.
Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images
She replied: “I didn’t have doubts, but it’s not easy coming from 500, you have to play tournaments like the challengers.
“Obviously mentally it’s not the most easy, but I tried to get through that the quicker the better, and luckily I did. I don’t want to go back there again, so I prefer like this.”
Sofia Kenin’s 2020 Australian Open victory
Coming into the 2020 Australian Open, Sofia Kenin was nowhere near the conversation of potential winners. After all, she was the 14th seed.
Kenin opened her campaign in Melbourne by not dropping a single set in her first three rounds before battling from a set down to beat future Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round.
The American then defeated three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur before beating the 2022 champion, Ashleigh Barty.
Kenin finished a memorable two-week campaign with a three-set victory over former Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza.