Australian Open: Why Sofia Kenin found tennis hiatus tougher than most

Defending champion Sofia Kenin says she's looking forward to the pressure of defending a major title when the Australian Open gets underway next month.

The 22-year-old American returns to Melbourne Park, the scene of her breakthrough grand slam title last year, where she beat Garbine Muguruza in three sets.

In something of a breakout year, even allowing for the tour's hiatus, Kenin also made the final of the French Open, rising to a career-high fourth in the world rankings.

The youngest American woman to be ranked in the top-10 since Serena Williams in 1999, Kenin looked set for a huge year when she won the Lyon Open in March, only for the tour to come to a sudden halt.

"In a way it was tougher on her than most, because she'd won a tournament just before the shutdown, she was really rolling," leading commentator Sam Smith told Wide World of Sports.

"She's someone who needs a lot of matches under her belt and it took a while for her to get up and running again.

"It's going to be tough for her this summer because there's not a long lead-up to the Australian Open."

Kenin is one of those players who's been allowed to practice daily, spending five hours outside her hotel room in Melbourne.

But Smith noted that going into a grand slam tournament as the defending champion brings a whole new set of challenges.

"I'm excited to see how she'll cope, there is definitely some pressure on her," she said.

"She's a bundle of energy, so she'll be bursting to get out there once quarantine finishes.

"She's an exceptional young woman but you never know how she'll cope with the pressure."

Speaking to TODAY, Kenin explained that she'd accepted the need to quarantine for two weeks.

"It's not easy but Tennis Australia, the Australian government, everyone is doing everything to keep the players safe, I obviously knew what was expected," she said.

"I'm really thankful and grateful to be here, with these circumstances, everyone is doing everything to keep us safe and I just know that one more day, and then hopefully we can explore Melbourne.

"I'm not going to complain, I love being back in Melbourne, it brings back great memories for me."

With COVID-19 making crowds almost impossible in both the United States and Europe, Kenin said the players were looking forward to playing in front of fans during the Australian season.

And while the Australian Open brings the additional pressure of being the defending champion, Kenin is enjoying her time at the top of the sport.

"Definitely a little bit of pressure, for sure. But I'm going to do my best and I'm really looking forward to the challenge as defending champion," she said.

"It comes with pros and cons but I'm really looking forward to it.

"I love being at this level and competing with the best players in the world.

"I worked really hard to get here and it's an honour. It's going to be a great challenge, everyone is super excited to be back here and with the fans, 50 per cent of the fans, I feel it's going to be somewhat normal.

"I cannot wait to see the fans and the energy. All of us are really excited."