Martina Navratilova has rushed to praise Sonay Kartal for her Wimbledon run, despite admitting her surprise at the same time.
The Brit entered the event as the third-highest-ranked from the home nation, and could now depart as the top-ranked, leapfrogging both Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter due to her stunning performance.
Already in the fourth round, nobody expected this when Wimbledon began.
Not least Navratilova, who actually pinpointed the duo that she thought would still be in the tournament at this stage, rather than Sonay Kartal.
Martina Navratilova praises Sonay Kartal’s Wimbledon run
Speaking on the Tennis Channel Live podcast, Navratilova was keen to assess the current crop of British talent left in the Wimbledon draw.
And, the nine-time champion at the All-England Club had to admit that she was a little surprised by who was remaining, compared to who she expected to still be around at this stage.
Focusing on Kartal in particular, Navratilova admitted: ‘She’s a good athlete. She competes really well. She embraces it.
‘There was no pressure on her, just because this is a first for her to be in the second week of a major, and she loves to support that she’s getting from the fans.
‘You know, we told her two Brits in the last 16, we would have thought it was going to be Draper and Raducanu. But instead, we got Norrie and Sonay.
‘So, yeah, she’s got a great opportunity, no pressure, and she embraces it, so, yeah, she could keep going. She’s got a good draw.’
Kartal reacted to reaching the Wimbledon fourth round with wonder, and hopefully she can deliver a similar one to reach the quarter-finals.
Sonay Kartal’s career should get much easier going forward
Whilst the weight of pressure will only increase now, given Kartal’s name has really been stamped onto the map of the British public, such a run will only help her career in the long run.
After all, it greatly increases her chances of being seeded in events going forward, which should, in theory, make deeper runs more possible with easier opponents in the earlier rounds.
The 23-year-old, at this event, had to start her campaign with a really tough clash against the unpredictable Jelena Ostapenko.
Had she been seeded, Kartal would have avoided this match-up.
Naturally, the fact that she won makes it all worthwhile, and it is crucial victories like this which help create the deep runs that boost the rankings.
It’s a very cyclical sport, and Kartal has put herself in a great position to enjoy a strong next few months with her surprise run at Wimbledon.
