“Team events are my favourite” - Sonay Kartal reflects on her Billie Jean King Cup debut & what it means to represent her country
• 2 MINUTE READ
Six months on from her unforgettable Billie Jean King Cup debut, Britain’s Sonay Kartal is gearing up to reunite with the Lexus GB team ahead of the Finals in Shenzhen.
As far as debuts for your country go, things couldn’t have gone any better for Kartal at April’s Group F Qualifiers in The Hague.
The 23-year-old secured singles victories over Germany’s Jule Niemeier and the Netherlands’ Eva Vedder, both of which were crucial to the Brits booking their plane ticket to Shenzhen for this year’s Finals.
Since then, Kartal has continued to shine on the WTA Tour and is motivated to build on that success in Shenzhen as she helps lead the Brits push for a historic first Billie Jean King Cup title.
We sat down with Kartal at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton ahead of the Finals to reflect on that memorable debut in The Hague, the progress she’s made on the big stage this season and what it means to represent her country.
“I said to everyone that it was the dream week for me,” Kartal said when reflecting on her Lexus GB debut. “Playing a live tie, having been on the team prior and supporting from the sidelines - it was always something I wanted to do in my career. It was probably in the top three things I wanted to achieve.
“To be able to do that, get the two wins that I did and have the girls around, it was a special moment for me."
It’s definitely still a moment I look back on - I see pictures of it and it brings back all the good memories.
Having now established herself inside the world’s top 60, Kartal is a regular feature on the entry list at the world’s biggest tournaments, where she’s proven she can rise to the occasion on the big stage.
A fourth round run at Wimbledon, fourth round appearance at Indian Wells and her first win on the Parisian clay at Roland Garros are just a handful of the Brighton-born star’s standout moments this year.
Aside from the results, she’s also had the opportunity to go head-to-head against some of the world’s best players, including world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, Jelena Ostapenko, Daria Kasatkina, Elina Svitolina and Beatriz Haddad Maia - all of which will prove valuable for Kartal heading into the marquee event of women’s team tennis.
“I started the year super out of my comfort zone, I was playing all these bigger tournaments and opponents I’d never played before. My coach and I said, throughout the whole year we’re going to play the bigger events because ultimately that’s where I want to be.
“As the year has gone on, I’ve become more comfortable. I’m seeing the same faces, interacting with new players and it’s becoming the new normal for me.”
Kartal is one of four British women currently ranked inside the WTA top 100, joining Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Francesca Jones in what is a resurgent era for British women’s tennis.
Boulter and Kartal will lead the British charge in Shenzhen as the highest ranked players in Anne Keothavong’s squad. They’ll be joined by two-time WTA 125 titleholder Jones and former world No.85 Jodie Burrage who complete a strong British team.
Speaking on being a part of such a strong era of women’s tennis in Britain, Kartal added, “We’ve been doing very well for so long. The last few months we’ve already pushed each other but in the best possible way. We’re all stacked closely together in the rankings so it’s amazing, it’s inspiring for all of us.
“You’ve got some of your closest friends knocking on the door for the same ranking goals as you are. We’re all pushing each other and we’re all doing pretty well this year.”
Kartal and the Lexus GB team will begin their Finals campaign against Japan in the quarter-final, with a potential semi-final showdown against either USA or Kazakhstan awaiting them should they reach the final four.
With the tournament just days away, how is Kartal feeling as she prepares to wear the British flag on her shirt once again and fight for a first Billie Jean King Cup title in British history?
“I love it - team events are my favourite, it’s something I look forward to and it’s always a huge honour to play for your country. No matter how many times you’ve done it or whatever your ranking is, it always has the same meaningfulness as your first tie.
“It’s been a long season for us - for me, it feels nice to break it up, have something new and different - it almost feels like a bit of a restart. I’m excited to get going and I’m just counting down the days.”
Kartal and the rest of the Lexus GB team will face Japan in the quarter-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup on Thursday 18 September. The tie will begin at 10:00 UK time.
