‘Some countries are very good at tennis… We are not one of them:’ Why Zeynep Sonmez became an Australian Open sensation

“There are some countries that are very good at tennis, you know, they’re like tennis countries and we’re not one of them… I really think it’s a good thing because there are more players, more surprises,” Sonmez said.

Spectator Huseyin Turkmenoglu said he rarely gets to watch Turkish athletes in Australia’s top sports leagues. This made Sonmez’s appearance even more special for him and his sister Aysh.

“Honestly, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Zeynep… But because she is our nation, we decided to come to support her,” Turkmenoglu said, a Turkish flag draped over his shoulders.

“Most of the time we don’t get a chance like this… we’re really happy for her. I believe she’s doing well because of our support and we’re doing well because of her performance,” he said.

Hilkat Ozgun, president of the Australian-Turkish Cultural Group, said she was busy on social media platforms encouraging the Turkish community to attend Sonmezu matches. He was amazed at the number who attended on Wednesday.

“As you could see, they didn’t fit in! People were outside watching. My heart is racing at the moment,” she said.

Ozgun said she was especially happy when Sonmez supported a ball kid who wasn’t feeling well during her first-round match and encouraged the kid to stay on the sidelines.

“I’m so proud of her… the whole community supports Zeynep. She’s our pride… We’ll be coming to see more.”

Sonmez has now equaled her record set at last year’s Wimbledon, becoming the first Turkish player to reach the third round of a major in the Open era.

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She also became the first Turkish player to advance past the first round after winning at Melbourne Park on Sunday.

Despite all these milestones, Sonmez said she is eager to move on and represent her country proudly.

“I know that [tennis] it’s a new thing in Turkey, but I don’t want to stop there, you know? I want to continue. I want to do better things,” she said.

“I think everybody dreams of winning a Grand Slam as a young girl or boy. So that’s one of my dreams as well. But… I just focus on getting better every day.”

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