Beyond the Baseline star Sonay Kartal on adjusting to the pro-level and her feature in our tennis docu-series
Sonay Kartal burst onto the British tennis scene at the beginning of 2022 when taking part in a W25 event in Birmingham. Despite then being ranked world No.864, the Brit stunned the field as she sprinted to the trophy - marking her first of four titles that year.
Fast forward almost two years later and Kartal – who is currently supported by our NTC Pro Access Programme presented by Lexus - has wrapped up her second full season on the professional tennis circuit, broken into the top 200 and ticked off a lengthy list of goals from her tennis bucket list.
We sat down with the 22-year-old who reflected on her second year on tour, the lesson’s she’s learnt from competing at the highest-level of the game, and her involvement in our latest tennis documentary series, ‘Beyond the Baseline, presented by Lexus’.
“One of the biggest things I’ve learnt is definitely around the level of going from the juniors to the adult game” Kartal said.
“Performance wise, you learn pretty fast that the level you have as a junior is far from what’s needed from at the top level – both mentally and physically. You don’t get any second chances, you have to be ready to go from the start of every match.
“Being able to play all the Grand Slams is definitely one of the highlights. Getting main draw at Wimbledon for two years in a row now is huge and I think it’s every player’s dream to be able to play that. The home crowd, atmosphere and everything that comes with it is so unique and completely different to any of the other Slams.”
Kartal is one of 10 British tennis players featuring in our tennis docu-series ‘Beyond the Baseline’. Set out to highlight the realities of life on the ITF and ATP/WTA Challenger Tours, the series gives you an exclusive behind-the-scenes perspective of players competing on the lower levels of the professional tour.
The series sees the world No.234 take us to her childhood club in Brighton, where she began her tennis career and continues to train at to this day, alongside splitting her time at the National Tennis Centre. We’re also introduced to her coach, Ben Reeves, who has been with her since the very first day of her tennis journey, but why does it mean so much to her to continue training close to home?
“I love being at home and the home comforts, so I try and be there as much as possible.
“I think people will see my characteristics on and off the court and how my coach and I bond and work together. They’ll see where I grew up playing, at a small, family club and it’s really nice that we managed to film there.
“It’s very special for me. It’s where I started playing tennis and it’s nice for me to be able to go back. All the members there have known me since I was six, playing on the court next to them, so it’s nice to have that connection with other people.
“I love to see the kids coming through the club. I was one of them once so it’s nice to give them any insight and support that I can. I went through every level in the British tennis system, with the same coach, so for them it’s reassuring that the journey they want to go on is possible at that club and with the coaches available.
Kartal rounded off by highlighting the biggest takeaway she wants fans to gain from watching the docu-series, as well as outlining her plans for the off-season and ambitions for the 2024 season as she looks to continue her ascent to the topflight of the sport.
“There are clips where you can see I’ve had many setbacks in my career, injury-wise. I’d like to think it can reassure people that there’s no set, or right journey to play high-level, Grand Slam tennis. Everyone’s on their own journey and has their own timescale.
“During the off-season I’m going to get myself as fit as possible and ready for January, so a lot of training and fitness.
“My biggest goal next year is to break top 100 – that’s the main goal but I’d love to see myself have a successful grass and clay season. For me, clay courts have the potential to be my best surface, so I’d love to be able to put that into big results.”
The final episode of Beyond the Baseline will be released on Tuesday 28 November at 16:30 GMT.
You can watch all episodes on the link below.