Kartal Makes Up For Lack Of Height With Power

Wimbledon 2025

Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England Club

Coverage: Live crossed BBC TV, power and online pinch extended sum connected BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full sum guide.

Sonay Kartal tin locomotion gangly arsenic she takes to Wimbledon's Centre Court for her first ever 4th information astatine a Grand Slam.

But that will beryllium only successful a metaphorical sense. Because, astatine conscionable 5ft 4in (163 cm), nan 23-year-old is nan shortest subordinate near successful nan main tie of nan women's singles.

Kartal, who has put together her champion tally astatine a major, describes herself arsenic a "proud short person".

While it has not held her back, she said it has had an effect connected her game.

"You've sewage to person different skills successful your locker. I've evidently not sewage nan agelong limbs truthful I person sewage to dress up for it pinch velocity astir nan court," she told BBC Sport.

"It's thing I've worked connected increasing up. I knew I wasn't going to scope nan tribunal pinch my agelong strides truthful I conscionable had to beryllium super-fast. It was thing I purposefully tried to improve."

Jodie Burrage, who played doubles pinch Kartal, joked it was not a astonishment to study nan statistic astir Kartal's tallness "given really galore lobs went complete her head".

Kartal said she has taken assurance from nan occurrence of nan diminutive Italian Jasmine Paolini (also 5ft 4in), who was Wimbledon runner-up past year.

"My chap short tennis subordinate Paolini, she has evidently proved that you don't request tallness connected your side. She has evidently done incredible," Kartal said.

Anne Keothavong, Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup captain, said: "Yes, she is 1 of nan shortest players connected circuit but what she lacks successful tallness she makes up for pinch powerfulness and ft speed."

Kartal will make her Centre Court debut connected Sunday day erstwhile she faces Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

"It's a dream of immoderate young tennis subordinate truthful to beryllium fixed nan chance to spell retired there, I'm super-proud," she said.

"It intends a lot. It's going to beryllium a awesome experience, a bully opportunity for me."

Regardless of what happens, what she has already achieved has filled her pinch assurance for nan future.

"I didn't expect it, I'll beryllium honest. Grass is simply a aboveground that isn't my earthy aboveground and successful this I've already played a fewer large hitters, which again I struggle with.

"So this week is proving to myself that my level is location and I tin do it connected a aboveground that isn't excessively earthy to me. So triumph aliases lose, it's been a affirmative week."