“I’m hungry to get back” says Kenin after Gauff upset at Wimbledon

What is clear is she prefers the role of underdog. After beating both Sabalenka and Gauff, Kenin acknowledged she was playing with less expectation than her opponents. 

But at Wimbledon, she is also playing with a point to prove. 

Gauff, who had twice previously reached the second week in London, said before the tournament she did not remember much from their AO 2020 fourth-round meeting. 

“Honestly, her game is pretty similar (to then). I think I just got better,” Gauff said.

Given Gauff’s recent struggles on her forehand wing, the comment raised some eyebrows. And Kenin – a savvy match-player – exploited this.

“I guess of course (I tried to) pick on her forehand a little bit more. Obviously I wasn’t playing every ball to her forehand. I had to be aggressive, serve well, return well. When you’re playing Coco, you have to be at your best,” Kenin explained.

“(When people don’t consider me the favourite) it gives me a boost to try to prove them wrong. Of course, when I was higher ranked and everything, people looked at me like I should win. I knew she’d be a bit more, like, nervous because more pressure’s on her than me.

“I just tried to use everything I could (in) this match to my advantage.”