Interview: Sonay Kartal

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British tennis player Sonay Kartal has had a rapid rise to success over recent years with a career-high WTA ranking of world No 53 which she achieved in May 2025, and she is now Britain’s number 3 in women’s tennis, keeping good company with Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter at the top of the game. Her meteoric rise saw her get through to the third round of Wimbledon in 2024 when she got to place 295 in the world ranking, becoming the second British woman to reach the third round at Wimbledon as a qualifier. Sonay also won her first WTA title in Monastir, Tunisia last year.  

She seems to be taking her relatively newfound success in her stride and is relaxed but quietly focused.  “I used to go and watch my brother train at our tennis club in Brighton where I am still a member of and play at now. I was super shy, but eventually I was persuaded to pick up a racquet and I haven’t really looked back from there.”  

Kartal, or Karts as she is called by those that know her well, first started playing tennis at the age of six at Pavilion & Avenue Tennis Club. “It’s been part of my life ever since I was little, I would play at least five times a week and then when I got to the age of 13 I realised I needed to start home schooling as it was tricky to fit it all in.”  

But it hasn’t been a straight-forward route for Sonay who is calm and honest about her trickier years. “From the ages of 14- 18 years old it was hard.  I was constantly getting injured, I couldn’t find my consistent play and my performances were a bit sporadic and erratic and I was kept out for a few years as I was struggling with my wrist…. I just couldn’t find my flow. ”  

However her defining career moments came post lockdown when Sonay physically changed and everything “clicked into place”.  “My game was coming together and I was really finding my stride and quietly going about it.” Then came the wildcards into Wimbledon, followed by making it to the third round after qualifying, despite undergoing hospital treatment for an undisclosed health issue earlier in the year.

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Women’s tennis and British tennis in particular is going through a surge of success and Sonay is respectful and grateful of her peers.  

“We have a really great super healthy competition between us, and I see them a lot and we train at the tennis centre in London together. There are a big chunk of us now on the up and it’s exciting and great for the game.”  

Sonay’s maturity and dedication to tennis is evident and committed and she has worked with the same coaches since she was six years old.  

“It’s not just the player on the court, there’s a whole team of people around you, helping, supporting and keeping you focused and I’ve worked with Ben Reeves and Julie Hobbs all my life. I’ve been lucky enough to find a team that works really well and I deeply trust.”  

I ask her how integral her parents have been to her success and what role they have played, half assuming that the tennis gene must be in her blood, but things seem remarkably relaxed. She says of her parents: “They just wanted me to do whatever I wanted to and do and let me develop as I wanted. They were supportive but never forced anything.” The brother who she used to go and watch is now a doctor and he is immensely proud of his sister as he should be. 

“Tennis teaches you so much and you learn such a lot of life skills,” she reflects. “There is no set way to do it, and every player has a different path and people develop at different rates, I’ve experienced that first hand.”  

Of course, she isn’t oblivious to the challenges it presents as well. “The toughest part of the job is constantly keeping in good shape and training, and it can be tough with travelling and keeping up with friends. It’s sometimes hard to bounce back, and it’s not every day or every week that you are winning.”  

When she does get some time off, Sonay loves her fitness, going to the gym, chilling out and being at home spending time with her friends and family and dog Blue.  

Her wisdom but intent really comes across and when I ask her how far she wants to go in tennis, I think I know what the answer is going to be… “I want to be the best, I want to go as far as I can, I suppose we are all looking for the ceiling of our tennis.”  

Wimbledon is her favourite tournament and she is particularly fond of it because of the success she has had there. “It’s the best, the atmosphere, the tradition, it’s not like anything else.”