Top Five Management has dropped Sofia Kenin due to “difficulty with the athlete’s environment”. 2020 was a breakout year for Kenin who won her maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open and reached the finals at the French Open. 

The awkwardly worded announcement suggests there was a conflict between the player and the team at Top Five.  No details were provided on the source of conflict.

It is possible that Kenin and Top Five could not agree on the financial cut that the agency gets from her deals. Other reasons could include parents and other members of Kenin’s team interfering with the affairs of her management agency.

2020 was a difficult year for tennis. Tournaments reduced prize money by up to 50% to make up for not being able to have fans in the stadium. Sponsors were also faced with difficult financial conditions in their business.

Despite a big year, Kenin had difficulty attracting high profile sponsors. Fellow American player Amanda Anisimova signed a monster deal with Nike, though her on-court results have been sub-par compared to Kenin’s.

It is rare for an agency to drop a young player who has a long runway. Given her high profile in tennis, another management agency will certainly pick up Kenin.