British Tennis in Crisis? Sonay Kartal joins Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper in injury nightmare as only Boulter and Norrie remain
WTAMonday, 20 April 2026 at 22:30
Sonay Kartal's woes continue and the same can be said overall for the British contingent of top names with her name being the latest to be added to a long list of players out of the next tournament, the Madrid Open which begins tomorrow in Spain.
Kartal, the British number two being out means that only really Katie Boulter and Cam Norrie fly the flag for British tennis as of right now with Kartal in particular out for the whole clay court season and Draper and Raducanu a doubt anyway.
Draper in particular has had a real stop start return to action and is out of Madrid this next week, while Raducanu had a flying start to spring reaching the final in Cluj but that came at a price for the former US Open champion.
She suffered a virus and has been dealing with post-viral symptoms since then. Supposedly according to Sky Sports when she withdrew from the Madrid Open, she is likely to be ready for Rome and is back training but that Madrid is a bridge too far.
Kartal has been out since Indian Wells too having such a good run that was blighted when she had to retire against Elena Rybakina injured and that has continued on. She retired trailing 4-6, 3-4 and has not played competitively since. She has already lost WTA ranking points due to her absence from events in Miami and Rouen. She is now set to lose more points in Paris, Rome and Madrid.
What's next?
Seemingly when she does return it will be at Queen’s Club Championships. The event, held in north-west London, will run from June 8 to 14. Often a tactic used by Boulter and Raducanu has been to trarget the grass court as even in event of being unable to play due to rankings usually, players like Kartal can benefit.
She could feasibly even play lower tournaments beforehand on grass to get herself prepared but likely will just be at the LTA and could be joined by other fellow Brits if they decide not to bother with the rest of clay.
“Hey everyone, quick update from me,” she began. “Sadly, my back injury hasn’t improved as quickly as I would have hoped, which means no clay season for me this year.
“Thanks for all the messages over the past few weeks, means a lot. Can’t wait to play in front of a home crowd soon! See you on the grass."
Sonay Kartal's season so far
| Tournament | Result | Opponent | Round |
| ASB Classic | Lost | Elina Svitolina | Quarter-finals |
| Australian Open | Lost | Anna Kalinskaya | First round |
| Abu Dhabi Open | Lost | Sara Bejlek | Quarter-finals |
| Qatar Open | Lost | Magda Linette | First round (after qualifying) |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | Lost | Aliaksandra Sasnovich | Second qualifying round |
| Indian Wells | Retired (injury) | Elena Rybakina | Fourth round |
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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