"Last year, we only spent 50 days in Turkey" - Zeynep Sonmez outlines harsh reality of being a professional tennis player

Being a tennis is a dream reality for many players, but there are a lot of sacrifices that have to be made to make it to the top. Zeynep Sonmez has gone through this process and has reaped the rewards, but at a cost.

The 24-year-old may not have been in the sport for very long, but already she is the highest ranked WTA player from Turkey ever. A career high of 48th in the world cements her spot as a Turkish tennis legend and just the second player to make it in the WTA top 100 after Çağla Büyükakçay.

A big reason for this is that tennis is not so common in Turkey. "I come from a country where tennis is not very popular," she told . "I did not grow up in an environment where the tennis culture was widespread. That's why I had to learn many things on the fly."

This forced to her learn quickly and keep up with the competition, especially as she went up the ranks and the competition got a lot more heated.

"Some of my friends have already learned many things as they grew up. By the time they reach that level, they already know some subjects in advance. In contrast, I learned almost everything through experience."

Having learned all these lessons, Sonmez now finds herself with a lot of responsibility on her shoulders as a trailblazer for Turkish tennis. "That's why, in some aspects, there may be areas where I lack something. The number of things I experience for the first time is greater," she continued. "They can receive experiential knowledge transmission from players from their own countries. The tennis culture also teaches them many things earlier."

It takes real mental strength and persistence to make it in tennis. A tricky sport to get to the top of with the competition being so tough and cut-throat, ups and downs are common and something all players have to deal with.

Sonmez has managed to battle into the top 50 in the world, offering so many benefits when getting in the biggest tournaments on offer, but the journey was not easy. "To be in the top 50, you need to be mentally very strong," she stated. "Because we are traveling almost every week. You have to be ready to be away from your family and loved ones."

The rewards are worth it, but it does come at a cost. "This has been one of the most difficult parts of my job. Being away from Istanbul and my family has always been challenging for me."

This has been a thought constantly on her mind as she cherishes the chance to go home with her family. "Every time I lost a match, I thought, 'What if we go home?'. Even between tournaments, I wanted to come back home."

She made a stark revelation: "Last year, we only spent 50 days in Turkey." That showcases the harsh demands when on the tour. From Australia to the Middle East to North America to Europe back to North America ahead of the Asian swing, tennis players are constantly travelling and moving around the world to participate in the WTA events.

For Sonmez now, it is all about staying in the top 50 and even progressing up it. She has the talent to compete with the best but it is about consistently picking up wins and progressing deep in competitions that get you the rewards most cherished. Up next is the Memphis Open before a brace of WTA 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati leads nicely to the US Open.