Kenin talks letting off steam with tears

While Sofia Kenin looks stoic and laser-focused on court, the 21-year-old is very prone to emotions off of it. She's opened up about her habit of crying, sometimes even before a match.

"Coming off as a Grand Slam champion this year I just felt a little more emotional," she said, admitting she was stressed before her US Open opener against Yanina Wickmayer. "Had to let it out, had to let off some steam before the match."

She'd beat Wickmayer 6-2, 6-2 and would go on to reach the fourth round before falling to Elise Mertens.

So how does the 2020 Australian Open champion let off steam?

"Crying," she said. "That's what I did. I mean, I had to let it out. That's not the answer that people would like to hear, but, yeah, everyone knows in Aussie I was crying every day before my match. It's fine. It worked."

The world No. 5 doesn't like losing, that much is clear. This week she's got another chance at picking up more wins when she plays in Rome.

Seeded No. 3, she has a bye and awaits the winner of Victoria Azarenka and Venus Williams. Hopefully she won't have another bout of tears, but the good news is Kenin thinks of it as a trick.

"But obviously after I lose, I obviously hope some things are going to click and some kind of sign is going to happen and I'm, like, everything is fine again," she said. "Now I can play and now I can be happy again. Not much of a trick. A trick, I guess, to do also is cry a lot. That's what I do. I try to let it out."