SONAY Kartal is eyeing a spot in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon this afternoon.
The 23-year-old star will overtake Emma Raducanu as British No1 if she can defeat Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the last 16 at the All England Club.
She is the fourth unseeded British woman to reach the fourth round this century after Laura Robson, Heather Watson and Raducanu.
Kartal has already put together her best run at a major, and she plans to celebrate after the tournament by getting her 15th tattoo.
But it’s not just the ink that’s catching the eyes of spectators this afternoon, as she has heavy strapping on her right knee.
Why has Sonay Kartal got strapping on her knee?
Sonay Kartal first wore tape on her right knee on Saturday during her doubles match with fellow Brit Jodie Burrage.
The pair went on to lose in straight sets to Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund, but after the match, Kartal explained the reasoning behind the tape: “(The tape) is just precaution. I am testing it out in the match today to see whether or not I like it. I’m all good. It took a lot for me to come out of doubles retirement.”
But Kartal’s knee has been strapped up much more for the last 16 clash than it was yesterday during the doubles defeat.
The British hopeful later went on to discuss the honour of playing on Centre Court for the first time, with her last-16 clash against Pavlyuchenkova picked to open the iconic stage on Sunday at Wimbledon.
Kartal added: “I found out about Centre Court just before walking out on court (for the doubles). My agent told me. It’s a huge honour to play on that court. A court that you dream of. As a kid, you want to play on it. I had no idea. It was one I was hoping to play on this week. The way I am looking at it is that it’s a slightly bigger Court One.
“I think I have got over the court one (nerves), I will feel much better walking out on Centre. Still nerve-wracking, but Court One is already a super big court. It’s similar to Centre. Warming up on Court One a couple of days ago will help me.
“I’m just tunnel vision, focusing on myself. I did watch the match yesterday (Friday). Emma played incredible tennis. Went toe-to-toe, at some points was even miles ahead.
“She should get so much confidence from her game, making the world No1 play the best tennis. I don’t feel much pressure.
“I am playing with freedom. I feel like I have nothing to lose. I will go on court and enjoy the moment and hopefully get the win”
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