THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 6, 2025

Sonay Kartal

Press Conference

A. PAVLYUCHENKOVA/S. Kartal

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Sonay, good performance out there. Give us your thoughts on how that went for you.

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, obviously pretty devastated to not get the win. But I think people were saying to me that the draw had really opened up, but I think she, obviously being unseeded, I think she played like a seed today. Today she was seeing the ball so well, taking it super early right from the very first point. She played two games, which was almost unplayable for me.

No, I think I did well to keep it as tight as I did. A few mistakes at not ideal times. I think that was the only difference today.

No, I'm proud of the week that I've had, for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do you actually recognize how much you inspire a lot of people in the sport? Have people spoken to you?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, I think when I'm in these kind of weeks, I try just to keep myself focused. I don't tend to look at too much, like social media or things like that.

But no, I think now that obviously I'm finished here, I will definitely once I've kind of -- you now, probably for the rest of the day I'll be a bit sad. But I think tomorrow I'll probably wake up, and I can look back on this week and be super proud of it and step back and think, you know, fourth round of a slam, it's the first experience, and for it being here, having beaten the players that I did to do that.

Yeah, super proud week. Yeah, I think I'll definitely get back to replying to messages. Yeah, I'll hopefully see that I have maybe inspired some people this week.

Q. Could you take confidence from today in terms of going forward in your career? There was the moment when the AI didn't work. Did you feel it could be handled in a different way?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, I mean, like I said, the week I've had, I gained confidence from the first match. So being four matches later on, I've got tons of confidence. I think on a surface that is not my natural surface, to get the wins against the bigger hitters, which I struggle with probably the most.

Yeah, I've had good results. I think I'm playing some of the best tennis I've played this week as well.

No, that situation is a rarity. I don't think it's really ever happened, if it has. But no, it's tough luck. What can you do? The umpire is trying his best in that situation. I think he handled it fine.

I think the system just malfunctioned a little bit. I think the fairest way was what he did, to replay the point. But no, was just a bit unlucky that happened. I think there's hardly been any of them, so yeah.

Q. Your backhand on that point, did you think it was clearly out?

SONAY KARTAL: It's unfortunate for me. I'm quite short, so where the net tape is, a lot of the time I lose my vision. That kind of covers the baseline.

No, from where I was, I couldn't see. From my point, I felt like I hit the backhand clean. So I maybe have to look at the replay. Yeah, my vision was kind of blinded. When the point stopped, I thought maybe it was a let or something, came on the court. But no, I couldn't see.

Q. Could you tell us about the bandage on your need, what's happened? You played doubles yesterday. Was that of any consideration to save yourself for today and not play that doubles?

SONAY KARTAL: No, I think the bandage looked very excessive. It was only kind of a tiny, little area on my kneecap. It was unfortunately where it was. Obviously it was right where my knee bends. Anything that would stick to it would just come off with sweat, so that's why I looked bigger, because I had to tape around it. That's the only way to keep it on sweating in a match.

It was fairly excessive than what it actually was. Nothing major. I've just played a lot of tennis in the last five, six weeks without many days off.

It's nothing serious. It was just a little niggle today.

Yeah, playing doubles, it didn't hinder anything. I actually felt pretty good on court today.

Q. Emma and Jack were both saying they didn't fully trust the system to make the right calls. Did you have any moments?

SONAY KARTAL: No, I think maybe the first tournament I played with it, obviously it was difficult getting used to it. I've played quite a few now that have it. To be honest with you, I just try and get on with it.

If it calls it out, there's not much as a player we can do. We just have to trust the system. We can ask for a replay, but that's not going to change anything. Once the decision is made, it's made.

No, I try not to look at that stuff. To me, if it's called out, it's out. That's the way I view it. I think if you view it differently, it can mess with your head a little bit, and maybe you can lose your frustration.

Q. I suppose if you didn't know if it was out or not, you wouldn't...

SONAY KARTAL: I can't see from where I was. The net was in the way. As I said, I thought I hit it clean, but no.

Q. If you'd known it was out, do you think you would have ended up giving her the name?

SONAY KARTAL: If I could typically see, like, it was massively out, yeah, you can't argue with that. Yeah, if it's tight, there's not much I can do in that situation.

Q. I saw you out there a couple hours before the match on Centre Court with your phone.

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah (smiling).

Q. What did you get out of that? What did you get out of the first performance on Centre Court?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, I just wanted to go out and see the court for myself, and just visually I wanted to go behind each baseline and where I was going to serve. Each court with the view in the back is a bit different. Sometimes when you're throwing the ball up, you can sometimes maybe lose it in the crowd or something.

So I wanted to go to the baseline from each end and try to get a little visual before of what it would be like. That's why I went out.

Yeah, listen, it's every kid's dream to play on Centre Court. Obviously disappointed not to get the win, but I'm proud of the match I put in. I gave everything I had on the court today. Yeah, it was a dream come true being able to play on Centre today.

Q. Do you think the AI failure actually helped Anastasia a bit? She initially said to the umpire, favor the Brits.

SONAY KARTAL: I think each player is different. I think some people can, I guess, use the crowd cheering for the opponent, and they can use that as kind of -- they can get fired up, and that can fuel them. Personally I don't know how her character is. Maybe that did.

But yeah, I mean, I think the best way for her, she handled it great. She got herself fired up. It didn't seem like it affected her game for many points afterwards. Yeah, I think if you're in that situation and it hasn't gone your way, you've just got to use that and put that behind you and use that as a bit of get yourself going again and fire yourself up.

Q. You just mentioned with the AI incident, when you hear 'out' you ought to move on and play. There was quite a bit of stoppage with the umpire. Did that affect your game at all? We saw the umpire move the microphone away to talk to the players. How did he explain it to you?

SONAY KARTAL: I don't think it affected my game because I'm pretty sure I won that game after.

Yeah, he just said that the ball hadn't been tracked on the system and we had to replay the point. Yeah, we both just got on with it and accepted that, accepted that decision.

Q. I know you haven't had any time to look back at the last week as a whole, but when you do, what do you think your main takeaways will be and what are you looking to do afterward?

SONAY KARTAL: I think that, yeah, this week I've proved to myself that I can go deep into slams, I can beat some of the best players on tour.

No, I think, listen, I'm going to go away with a lot of motivation. Yeah, I think I'll take a little rest, maybe a week or two off, just recharge, and get ready for the American swing.

But no, I think all I have from this week is just positive, positive things in my game, how I handled the situation. It's not easy coming out on Centre Court as a Brit. So I think the way I handled that, I think I did a great job.

Yeah, I think I did a lot of good things this week that I should be proud of.

Q. You walked out and there was thunder and lightning. What was that like? How do you spend 240 grand?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, I actually saw the video after the match of the entrance and heard the thunder. I thought that was pretty cool. Yeah, I think there was thunder when I walked on and thunder when I came off. I think that's one pretty cool entrance. I loved it.

Walking out onto Centre, you just get goose bumps. You got the roof closed, it's even louder. Yeah, it was crazy. One very good experience I'm glad that I'll have on camera to watch every now and again.

Yeah, I wish that is the amount I took in my pocket, but obviously I've got a lot of stuff to pay before I take home anything. No, I've been smart with everything that I've earned this year. I just re-put it back into my tennis.

It's a bit like a business. You've got to invest in yourself to become better. I think that's what I've done this year. I've really kind of invested and tried to just put a lot of money into my myself to have maybe the best equipment to travel with and, yeah, get tons more physios and whatnot on the road.

Yeah, that money will just be reinvested into the tennis.

Q. Will it make a big impact going forward in terms of you can give yourself the best possible preparation for everything else? Your in the top 50. Does it change the way you can be yourself?

SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, it only makes it easier to schedule tournaments. You're at the ranking now where you pretty much know what you're getting into, so you can plan. You can plan better. It's less kind of last minute and in the air.

Yeah, I guess that definitely helps. I can get people that are going to be free and plan early to make sure there is availability for me that week. Yeah, having a ranking that is inside top 50 helps massively.

Q. Anne Keothavong recently said you were a fantastic person that she wanted the British public to get to know better. Do you think that's happened this week?

SONAY KARTAL: I'd like to. I think I have definitely had a bit more attention on me this week from people recognizing me to fans around the grounds to my social media. It's kind of blown up a bit.

Yeah, I think the better in tournaments I do, I guess the more exposure I get. I think it will naturally come.

But no, yeah, I'd say that people have gotten to know me a little bit better this week.