A new era dawned in British tennis at the start of 2022 as a revamped schedule of tournaments changed the landscape for our homegrown stars.

The move to launch an expand expanded LTA Performance Competitions Calendar ensured the number of ITF tournaments in this country rose from eight women’s events in 2019 to 16 for both men and women in 2022 and the move has proved to be hugely successful for a host of British players.

By the middle of May, British players has already collected more than 50 titles, with 38 unique homegrown champions in tournaments around the world and many of those came in the ITF events being hosted in this country.

Alastair Gray, Anton Matusevich, Joshua Paris, Eden Silva and Henry Patten are among the British players who have lifted ITF titles this year and for Sonay Kartal, the increased tournament scheduled has provided a platform for a huge rise in the WTA rankings.

Kartal, 20, ended 2021 ranked 865 in the world, but she headed into this summer's British grass court season inside the world's top 300, with her four ITF W25 wins lifting her towards the upper echelons of the game at a rapid rate.

Her stunning form was enough to see her awarded a wildcard into Wimbledon for the first time in her career and she is grateful to the LTA for putting on additional tournaments on home soil that have helped to kick-start her career.

"Playing matches is so important and these new tournaments in this country has been a massive boost to all the British players," begins Sussex's Kartal, who was included in Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup squad for the tie against the Czech Republic in April.

"If it wasn't for these new ITF events in the UK, I would not be where I am in the rankings now, it's as simple as that.

"At the start of the year, I was not getting into the main draw of a W25 event, but winning some of these events in the UK has changed everything for me both in terms of my ranking and my mentality.

"The standard in these ITF events is so high. The majority of matches I've played has been against opponents ranked in the top 300 and players are coming from all over the world to play in these events because the standard is high and they all want to be a part of it."

 

Financing a tennis career when you are not playing at the top of the game is tough for a young player, but Kartal believes the platform provided by the LTA Performance Competitions Calendar will have a lasting impact for British tennis.

"You look at America and they have so many tournaments each week, which creates great competition and strength in depth with their players," she continued. "Hopefully we will now start to see something similar in this country now.

"For British tennis, it is something we all needed and all of us playing in these events are so grateful to the LTA for putting them on and it will be a massive benefit for our game moving forward."

Kartal's ambitions have been transformed since her success over the first half of 2022 and she is looking at this grass court season as a chance to build on the momentum she has built up.

"At the start of the year, my ambition was to try and break into the top 500," she added. "I did that quickly and then the next goal was 300, which I achieved by May.

"Then I got a call-up to the Billie Jean King Cup squad and that was an amazing experience in Prague. We were up against some top class players, but we came so close to winning the tie and only lost in the deciding doubles, but it was such a great opportunity for me.

"I never thought I'd get into the squad so quickly, but the team spirit was fantastic that week and it encouraged me to think I could aim for even more in the next few months, even though I know the next part of my career will be hard.

"When you are ranked down in the 800s, you can make a big leap by having a good run at one tournament, but it is harder to do that now that I'm in the top 300.

"My next goal is to try and make the US Open qualifiers and with a good grass accurst season, that is realistic."

The aim of the LTA's Performance Competitions Calendar is to provide more opportunities for players to compete more regularly at a higher level and make progressive ranking gains at the early stages of their careers. The increased calendar means that there will be over 40 weeks of either international ranking point or prize money earning opportunities in Great Britain this year.

The stunning success of the initiative has changed the game for so many British players, with the winning success so many have experienced breeding optimism for a bright future.

For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA Website