EXCLUSIVEMeet the rising British tennis star who despite standing at just 5ft 4ins has risen from her hospital bed to outshine Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter

When it comes to making the most of a second chance, Sonay Kartal has few equals.

The 23-year-old, a rising force in British tennis who captured the nation’s imagination last summer when she reached the third round of Wimbledon as a qualifier, has become a past master in making the most of a reprieve.

The most recent example came last week in Indian Wells, a tournament that sits one rung below the grand slam events and is regarded by some as the sport’s unofficial fifth major. 

Having lost in the final round of qualifying to Clervie Ngounoue of the United States, Kartal secured a place in the main draw as a lucky loser, the system tennis uses to plug gaps caused by withdrawals or injuries, and went on to reach the last 16.

Kartal’s run included the finest win of her career, which came in the second round against Beatriz Haddad Maia, the Brazilian world No 17 and a former French Open semi-finalist, and although she eventually came to grief at the hands of Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, her success demonstrated emphatically that Wimbledon was no fluke.

That Kartal was able to prosper on the grass of the All England Club was itself something of a miracle, for a ‘scary few months’ at the start of last year saw her ‘in and out of hospital’ with an undisclosed health issue. 

Kartal, who was playing in the main draw of a WTA 1000 event for the first time, recorded the best win of her career, defeating Beatriz Haddad Maia, the world No 17, 6-2, 6-1

Kartal’s run in Indian Wells marks another impressive result following her progress to round three of Wimbledon last year as a qualifier. She was eventually beaten in SW19 by Coco Gauff 

Again, though, she seized the moment on her return, making light of a lowly ranking of 298th to claim the scalp of Sorana Cirstea, the 29th seed, in her opening match before losing to Coco Gauff, the second seed, a couple of rounds later. 

It was an achievement Kartal could never have dreamed of in those dark moments when she was grappling with her health, and it conferred a sense of perspective that has remained with her.

‘Something I’m trying to get better at is reflecting and stepping back,’ says Kartal, speaking from an airport lounge before flying out to Miami for the second leg of the sunshine swing. 

‘Obviously, tennis is one tournament straight after the other, the schedule is so full on, so it’s something I’m trying to improve on and actually understand that what I’ve done in such a short space of time is pretty impressive and something that younger me would be pretty proud of. 

‘Even if I was healthy [this time last year] I would never have pictured that things would have happened so quickly. It’s something I’m super grateful for. 

‘Being sidelined for a few months, not knowing where you stand or when you will be back on court, I think that just to be able to be on the court, let alone have the success I’ve had, gives you a lot more motivation. When I came back, I was itching to play the sport.’

This time last year, Kartal was ‘in and out of hospital’ with an undisclosed health problem. ‘When I came back, I was itching to play,’ she says

Kartal’s run in California came to grief at the hands of Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, whose face can be seen on the electronic screen here as the defeated British player walks off court

Kartal is seen shaking hands with Catherine, Princess of Wales, at Wimbledon last year. Princess Charlotte was with her mother, while Emma Raducanu, right, was also present

That much has shown in her results. Last September, Kartal won her first tour-level title at the Jasmine Open in Tunisia, an achievement that propelled her into the top 100 for the first time, a significant milestone for any player.

Now, following her impressive showing in the California desert, where victories over the experienced Varvara Lepchenko, Haddad Maia and Russia’s Polina Kudermetova  have propelled her to a career-high ranking of 63, she has the next big milestone in her sights.

‘A goal for me by the end of the year is definitely to be top 50, I’d like to be pretty clear inside that,’ says Kartal. 

‘Last year I did well tournament-wise, winning in Tunisia and Shrewsbury [where she claimed an ITF title in October], things like that. I think if I can end the year inside the top 50, it’s something I’ll be proud of.’

Should she succeed, the onus will be on her British contemporaries Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter, the only two players ranked above her in the domestic standings, to respond. 

Already Kartal has the 60th-ranked Raducanu in her sights – only 14 points separate the pair in the world rankings – and it is notable that she went deeper in Indian Wells than either of her domestic rivals. Indeed, you have to go back to Wimbledon to find the last time Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, won three straight matches, as Kartal did in Indian Wells.

Kartal plays a backhand en route to a 7-5, 6-3 win over Polina Kudermetova, the Russian world No 60, in round three of the WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells, California

Kartal shudders as she demonstrates her commitment to training and recovery with an ice bath

Kartal defeated Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia to win her first tour-level title at the Jasmin Open in Monastir, Tunisia, last September

Domestic bragging rights are the last thing on Kartal’s mind, however, even in a week when a video of her competing against Raducanu as a nine-year-old has been the focus of renewed attention. 

Her attritional game style, which entails heavy spin and plenty of running, is naturally suited to slower, high-bouncing surfaces, and Kartal says she is looking forward to the clay-court season and a first crack at the French Open, where she has never previously competed in the main draw.

The obvious question is where that leaves Wimbledon in the pecking order. Forced to choose, would Kartal prefer a deep run on the Parisian clay or success on the manicured lawns of the All England Club?

‘Oh, a hundred percent Wimbledon, without a doubt,’ she replies, without missing a beat. ‘Clay is a surface I enjoy playing on, but I don’t think any player enjoys playing another slam more than their own.’

Come the moment, there will inevitably be pressure on Kartal to defend the points she earned last year in SW19. But the 65 points she earned from this week’s success will alleviate the burden somewhat, as will the growing reservoir of experience upon which she can draw.  

‘Obviously, playing your home slam is nerve-racking as it is, and it never gets easier being a British player,’ says Kartal. ‘But you just learn to handle it a bit better. I think that’s what I did last year, and I think it’s something I’m going to continue get better at and more familiar with.’

Kartal lines up a forehand during an ITF World Tennis Tour event at TEC Carles Ferrer Salat last October in Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain

‘I’d say I’m physically fast and can get around the court and get a lot of balls,’ says Kartal

Kartal poses with Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup squad. From left to right: Kartal, Katie Swan, captain Anne Keothavong, Harriet Dart and Emma Raducanu 

The $60,400 (£46,667) cheque she earned for her exploits in California will also help, allowing her to expand a support team that no longer includes her former bodybuilder boyfriend Luke Ogbourne, with whom she has split. 

Chief among the personnel requirements for a player who has suffered her share of injuries – last year’s medical issues aside, Kartal has previously been sidelined by abdominal tears and a wrist problem that kept her off court for a year – is a travelling physiotherapist. 

‘With the prize money and stuff, I’m able to invest that back in myself and create a bigger team, one that’s able to travel on the road with me consistently,’ says Kartal. 

‘That’s going to help me massively, being able to source a physio that comes with me consistently to tournaments. I think that’s going to be a huge advantage that I’m going to have now.’

At 5ft 4in, a healthy body is a pre-requisite for Kartal against opponents who are invariably taller but, given her off-court work ethic, rarely stronger. If the athletic movement that enables her to retrieve seemingly lost causes is redolent of her childhood idol Kim Clijsters, the retired Belgian who won four grand slam titles and reached world No 1, her ability to disrupt with her spin and heavy forehand are all her own. 

‘Unfortunately I don’t have height on my side,’ says Kartal. ‘But I think as a player you’ve got to deal with what you’re dealt with. 

‘Unfortunately I don’t have height on my side,’ says Kartal. ‘But I think as a player you’ve got to deal with what you’re dealt with’

‘I think facing Aryna Sabalenka [right] was  about all the internal emotions that a big match brings you,’ says Kartal, who was defeated 6-1, 6-2 in Indian Wells

Kartal stretches wide to retrieve a backhand during her straight-sets defeat to Sabalenka

‘I think I can disrupt players in a different kind of way. I’d say I’m physically pretty fast and can get around the court and get a lot of balls. I think you’ve just got to find ways you can disrupt peoples’ game style.’

Encouragingly, from a British perspective, Kartal has demonstrated an admirable ability to draw lessons from her high-profile meetings with Gauff and Sabalenka. Her 6-4, 6-0 Wimbledon loss to Gauff, she says, was a chance to learn about her game style; her 6-1, 6-2 defeat to Sabalenka in Indian Wells, on the other hand, was more about managing her emotions and the magnitude of the occasion.    

It is a sure sign that Kartal is evolving in the right direction. What often eludes the casual viewer, who might look at those scorelines and wonder what all the fuss is about, is that tennis is a game played more between the ears than between the lines. 

The shift in Kartal’s focus from the tactical to the mental speaks of a player who knows she has the tools to compete with the best, and is now seeking the right mental and emotional formula to get the most from her game.   

‘The match against Coco was more learning about my game style, but I think [facing Sabalenka] was more about all the internal emotions that a big match brings you,’ says Kartal.

‘It was definitely something that I dealt with a  lot better, and I guess that just comes with playing more matches against bigger opponents, on a bigger stage, in a bigger round.

‘When you play the No 1 player in the world, other matches I imagine are going to be much easier to handle emotionally in terms of nerves and so on.’

Not for the first time, Kartal is reaping dividends from a second chance. It will be fascinating to see where it takes her in the coming months, starting with next week’s Miami Open.