“I had to work at night, go to school in the morning, and to drive in New York without speaking English,” says Alex, who often took daughter Sofia Kenin to play tennis when she had just started hitting the ball. Other children her age merely watched Powerpuff girls all day while Kenin developed a steadfast hand and eye coordination. The aggressive gameplay and never-depleting stamina is all her father, who also serves as the 2020 Australian Grand Slam’s only inspiration, imbibed into Sofia.

As Russian immigrants, not being fluent in English and trying to make a living in New York was just the tip of the iceberg for the Kenin family.

”On the radio, they were telling me to go, I didn’t know the words – what they said. It was very tough. But it’s amazing, the things you do when you need to survive. She knows about them but thank god she didn’t have to experience them,” Senior Kenin says.

In her childhood, Sofia attracted former American player Rick Macci’s undivided attention and was coached by him. She made her Grand Slam debut in 2015 US Open. Losing her first Grand Slam match was just a stepping stone for the youngster.

“I was having fun out there with fans cheering me on. It was such an amazing experience. It’s unfortunate to have lost, but I’ve worked really hard and I knew it was going to be tough,” Kenin said after the 2015 defeat.

With quite some ITF success greasing her racquets, Kenin cleared round one of the US Open in 2017. Not only her no-look services made headlines but watching her never-give-up attitude in full swing is a delight. Her backhand slice, a rare shot in contemporary tennis, walks hand in hand with the 21-year-old’s kit.

Finally, staging herself at World No. 12 in 2019, Sofia won a Grand Slam title in Australia, 2020. The 14th seed and dogged attitude were on the buffet when she beat two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova in the semifinals on Thursday. Playing against teenager Iga Swiatek, who reached the final after registering a convincing win over tournament favourite Simona Halep, Sofia’s no-look serves, irreplaceable stamina and zeal to lift the coveted trophy will be on display.