AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 11, 2025

Sonay Kartal

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to Melbourne. Australian Open main draw debut. How's the preparation been?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, it's been super good. I had a really good preseason back home. Managed to do training with the girls up in London at the National Tennis Center. Decided to start my year later so I can kind of freshen up a bit more and have a nice Christmas at home.

Yeah, I'm coming here super fresh. I'm just excited to get going tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Heck of a season last year. Must be excited to get going again and back that up?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, last year I had a crazy kind of last six months of the year. Everything happened pretty fast. And, you know, I felt like in my tennis, it was only a matter of time before I would make the transition onto the match court. In the training sessions I was doing everything so good.

I think constantly play in the bigger matches, getting more experience. I think everything is starting to fall into place and it's becoming more natural on the match court.

Q. How big was Tunisia for you? How much confidence does that give you going in? And what was that like to get that first win?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, I don't think I realized kind of at the time how big it was. Obviously not many people get to have a WTA title in their career. For me to just kind of do it off the back like that, it was from quallies, as well, kind of never having really played or gone deep in a WTA tournament, obviously apart from Wimbledon, but I think everything of that tournament suited me. The conditions suited me. The courts suited me.

I think that just almost having no expectation that week kind of played out in my favor. I didn't know how I would do. It was players I never played before. I think, yeah, a cumulative of loads of different stuff kind of actually got me over that edge.

Q. Jodie was just in here talking about the difference between playing at the Australian Open and playing at ITF events or 25s, 75s. How do you relish the upgrade of facilities?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, obviously it happens four times a year. It's almost like a treat. For me kind of spending most of my time playing the ITF matches is definitely a lot more, we get treated a lot better, you get a lot nicer things here. It just makes your life easier coming to the Grand Slams. Kind of everything is all done for you.

Yeah, you know, the practice is kind of whenever you want. You are not kind of hustling for a court. It's almost like a luxury coming here.

Q. Jodie mentioned having fresh balls on tap, a really nice thing. Anything else?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, that definitely makes a big difference. It saves a lot of people's wrists having new balls whenever you want.

I think it's just new balls, obviously playing in the best courts of the world. And I guess just having kind of everything done for you makes your life as a player just so much less stressful.

Obviously it's a stressful time anyway playing in a Grand Slam. You kind of put a lot of pressure on yourself and you always want to do your best in these kinds of tournaments. I think that external a little bit less pressure and less things to do definitely makes the difference.

Q. What do you remember about your qualifying here a couple years ago? The experience there, how long were you here in the end?

SONAY KARTAL: I think it was one of my first Grand Slams playing in the quallies, so everything was new to me. Obviously the nerves were super high.

I think I was much more nervous then than I am now this year. I think I've got so much more experience under my belt, played a lot more bigger matches, played on the bigger courts. I think Wimbledon helped massively with that, dealing with the nerves.

So I think as each year goes, you just, you know, it doesn't get easier playing the matches, but you just learn to deal with it a whole lot better.

Q. Have you looked at the draw, who could be in the next round?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, I have obviously seen the draw. It's a tough second round (smiling). I've still got a lot to get through tomorrow. And I think if I can pull through tomorrow, then yeah, it's definitely, again, like Wimbledon, it's a match that I'll be super excited to play.

Q. As you said, last year it all happened super fast. Is there a mental process to feeling like you really belong here?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah. I have started this year kind of feeling like I'm where I belong, playing the bigger events, and I think that my tennis has kind of proven that for me.

So yeah, I think it's definitely nice and then mixing with the girls that are the best of the world. I think that, yeah, I put myself in the best possible position I could. I'm exactly where I wanted to finish the end of the year last year, and I'm in a good place physically.

Yeah, I'm hoping that this year I can kind of have a more successful year on the tour and just almost have more longevity on the tour. Last year for me everything was so up and down with injuries and stuff.

I think kind of just the tournaments I did play I went far in. So I think having the constant of going far in tournaments, having one or two weeks off. So yeah, I'm hoping to go this year to play a lot more new tournaments and just deal with that better.

Q. You mentioned that you had been training really well, and throughout the last year. What was the difference between you I guess in the first half of the year and before that, and then the second half when everything clicked into place? Whether in your game or mentally, what changed for you?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, I think there was a few things I was working on in my game, a few things my coaches were telling me.

I think obviously when you're working on something new you're trying to do it in the practice courts, not kind of coming off as well as you would have liked. Then to try to do it in a match is obviously, you know, there are times where you feel like you don't fully trust it, the big points, 3-All deuce what I'm working on.

Do I really believe that it was going to pay off? No. I think just consistently doing it and eventually trusting in it, repetition, I think just doing it a thousand, thousands of times in practice, which I think is why everything kind of now has transitioned onto the match court for consistently doing it for so long.

Q. What were you trying to change, then?

SONAY KARTAL: I mean, I wouldn't class my game style as a typical girl game style. I'd say it's more kind of, you know, I play with a lot more spin. I don't hug the baseline and hit flat lines and things like that. I try to cause a lot of disruption and not giving the same ball twice, a lot of variation.

I think I needed to get some of that, holding the baseline, hitting the bigger shots, taking off the spin and just going flat, and I think I needed to get better at being aggressive. For me, that was the biggest thing I worked on during preseason.

Q. Who are you here with, and have you had a chance to hang out with any of the other Brits?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, I'm here with my coach and my doctor from London is here. Yeah, seeing the girls kind of last week or so, I know a few of them were playing previous tournaments. I saw them when they came over.

Hit with Jodie a couple days ago, as well. Yeah, we're all kind of passing each other in the locker room and things like that.

Q. Have you enjoyed Melbourne?

SONAY KARTAL: I have a little bit. First few days I got here, I was on the evening practices. I was super jet lagged and stuff like that.

Yesterday went into St. Kilda and kind of explored down there. I think afterwards when I'm done down here, I'll probably go do some more exploring. Yeah, definitely finding some good food spots and taking recommendations from the girls who I guess have a lot more experience of being here for many more years than I have.

Q. Where does, like, the spin in your game, where does that come from?

SONAY KARTAL: I have always had it my whole life. It's just what comes natural to me. It's something I have always done, and I think it's something that has caused a lot of results.

I'd say the biggest shot is my forehand and the spin and the whip I can get off the ball and off the court is probably one of my biggest strengths. I think trying to get the aggressive game style so I can switch between the two, if I can do that consistently then I think my game can go a lot better than it currently is.

Q. Is there a particular coach that built that technique?

SONAY KARTAL: I have had the same coaches my whole life, since I was six. Still with them now.

Yeah, it was something that I naturally did, and I think we tried to enhance it as much as possible, because it's not something that I guess the girls come across every day.

You know, if the courts here are pretty lively and the sun is pretty hot, so it's going to be getting the ball up even higher. I think utilizing it as much as we can out here is definitely something that I think can work in my favor a lot.

Q. You say you have been traveling with your doctor?

SONAY KARTAL: She's just come out here for a week or two weeks, yeah.

Q. Did she come out to watch you, or is it as a professional to be with you as part of your team?

SONAY KARTAL: She's currently just here on holiday. Yeah, she's not working with us. Yeah, she took some annual leave, took some time off, she thought why not? It's the only slam she hasn't been to. She's come to watch.

Q. Not something related to the health issues you had?

SONAY KARTAL: Nothing at all, no.

Q. Health good now?

SONAY KARTAL: All good, yeah. Feeling really good on match court. Shook off any niggles that I had before preseason. I'm feeling good.

Q. The heat doesn't look super extreme, but what do you like with the heat? Do you like it or not like it?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, obviously it's tough coming from home. Freezing temperatures and then coming here. Last weekend it was up near 40, which was tough. It's why we come here so early. Would have been here just nearly just over two weeks.

Back home we're doing heat acclimatization stuff to get used to the heat so it's not as much of a shock to the body when we get here.

No, definitely first few days was tough, but I think now it's got a lot easier to deal with.