Former Australian Open winner, Sofia Kenin ends her coaching partnership with her father. She is in no hurry to hire another coach soon.
World no 5 Sofia Kenin shot to fame in 2020 after winning the Australian Open by defeating two time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza . Later in the year, the American also made the finals of the French Open. However, the young girl isn't having the most productive season in 2021 thus far. She has a 7-8 win/ loss record for the year and was even dumped by Barbora Krejcikova in the round of 32 in Rome.
Back in Madrid, Kenin also announced that she will no longer be working with her father on the tennis court, who has coached her since the beginning.
She said, " I had great success with my dad and I felt like now was the time for me to do what I wanted to do myself in terms of my tennis, my career. That's why I decided that I had to part ways with my dad. It's not like in the future we're not going to get back . We don't know what's going to happen. I think for now I just need some time for myself, figure things out , grow as a person and then, we'll just see what's gonna happen down the road."
The 22 year old is currently without a coach and will only make a decision after consulting her team of agents.
Nowadays , it is common to see players splitting up with their parents as coaches. Study says it is more of a psychological decision rather than tactical. Many fathers have a rude way to do things, although it is not to harm their children or so, it is due to love. Every parent has their own style of parenting and most of the athletes nowadays don't want to be instructed on every single detail. They want their own freedom and want to handle things in their own way. It is not a bad decision because sometimes it makes the athletes feel that freedom and less pressure because of their parents not being their coach. Even though fathers are removed from their coaching role doesn't mean that they will not be proud of their children whatever they achieve. Many of the experts think it is normal and a win-win situation for both the parties.
In the past, we have seen many father-daughter duo partnerships in tennis. From the Williams' sisters , Jennifer Capriati to Kenin and Caroline Garcia, fathers have had a great influence on their daughters.
Recently, French woman Garcia declared that she will no longer be working with her father. The 27 year old is seen practicing and having her skills at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain.
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