"Proof that anything is possible": Sonay Kartal inspired by Emma Raducanu in ranking mission

Sonay Kartal reached her maiden WTA 1000 Quarter-Final and also the latter stages of Wimbledon completing the best year of her career well inside the top 100 and it is the player she grew up with that is inspiring her ascent.

Emma Raducanu was very much well mooted as someone Kartal grew up with. When Raducanu won the 2021 US Open, it was media rounds for Kartal discussing her childhood friend instead of her own mission until she ascended in the rankings.

She spoke to The Telegraph this past week in an extended feature including about Raducanu and watching that final as well as her own hopes to head towards the top 30 next year.

Raducanu famously snapped what was a bit of a poor streak for British female tennis players with the likes of Laura Robson, Johanna Konta and Heather Watson all having small modicums of success. But in reality most also were given an extended platform for results they accrued years prior.

While Raducanu and also Katie Boulter who has been the more consistent Brit have provided a blueprint that in reality it is possible as Kartal showed at Wimbledon where her and Cameron Norrie who are seen as the unconventional Brits compared to Draper, Raducanu and Boulter in regards to who they want to push were the ones left.

"Obviously we watched it and it was an incredible couple of weeks for her. It gave us all a bit of extra firepower and just the proof that anything is possible," said Kartal as per Telegraph.

"It was super inspiring to watch someone that you've grown up with, that you were playing under-9 nationals with, lift the US Open trophy. I'd like to see myself breaking into the top 30."

Unconventional from the fact Kartal wears a polo shirt on the court and oversized shirts and evokes her own style without sticking to the grain. That also stretches to her 14 tattoos which showcase different sayings and parts of her life. A player blazing her own trail whether she wants people to spotlight her or not.

Wile Raducanu and Boulter have long dominated the conversation, Kartal has shown this year that it isn't just those players to be watched out for.

“You talk about clothing, but also about body types as well,” she explains when asked about her unique style. “Things are changing now, there are so many different players on the tour, they’re taller, they’re smaller, everyone has got different physiques, carrying more muscle, less muscle. I think it’s becoming more diverse on the tour with clothing as well, which I think is a good thing. I think people should be themselves on the court; you shouldn’t try and follow the stereotype.”

“At the end of the day I’m going to wear what I’m comfortable wearing,” she says. “You’ve got a lot more important things to focus on, so I’m always wanting to be comfy and feel free on the court.”

She also is a player that in a rich persons sport has not come from privilege and has had to grind to where she has got to and that is kind of something that sums up her career thus far.

“They [her parents] sacrificed their whole lives for me to try and do this,” says Kartal. “You don’t have to come from a background that has loads of money [and] my parents weren’t exactly good at tennis. As long as you have people around you that you trust and have the determination and firepower, then I’d like to think that anything is possible.”