31 December 2024
New Year’s Message from Turkish Tennis Federation President Şafak Müderrisgil
Dear Members of Our Tennis Family and Esteemed Tennis Enthusiasts,
On 11 November 2024, we assumed the responsibility of leading Turkish tennis following the 6th Ordinary General Assembly of the Turkish Tennis Federation. Since taking office, we have swiftly begun working toward the development of tennis in our country. In this new era of the Turkish Tennis Federation, our goal is to initiate a comprehensive transformation for Turkish tennis, which holds great potential.
Through our strategic plan, which we call the “Turkish Tennis Initiative,” one of our key priorities is to enhance the brand value of Turkish tennis and establish a distinct tennis identity unique to Türkiye. We call our strategic plan, which we are shaping under the vision of “Tennis for All,” the “Turkish Tennis Initiative.”
To guide our efforts, we held the Turkish Tennis Initiative Workshop in December with the participation of all stakeholders. During the workshop, we evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of tennis in Türkiye, along with the threats and opportunities it faces. All of these efforts are being carried out with the aim of ensuring global recognition of Turkish tennis and transforming it into a strong presence in the international tennis arena through the achievements of all its stakeholders.
As the country with the youngest population in Europe, Türkiye holds tremendous potential in this regard. Turkish tennis has gained significant momentum in recent years. Interest in tennis across Türkiye continues to grow steadily, supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, collaborative efforts with local administrations, and contributions from our sponsors.
In 2024, we achieved proud milestones for Turkish tennis.
Our national athlete Ahmet Kaplan, ranked world No. 4 in the Quad category, and Uğur Altınel, ranked world No. 14, secured quotas for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, secured a quota for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in the Quad category, marking the first time in our history. Ahmet Kaplan went on to place fourth at the Paralympic Games. In May, Ergi Kırkın claimed his first ATP Challenger title at the Brasil Tennis Open held in Brazil. With this victory, Ergi became the fourth Turkish player to win a tournament at the Challenger level.
In 2024, Berfu Cengiz won 3 ITF titles, Ayla Aksu 2, İlay Yörük 2, Duru Söke 1, Altuğ Çelikbilek 1, Yankı Erel 1, and Cengiz Aksu 1, closing out a successful year in their careers. Tuncay Duran, Mert Naci Türker, Gökberk Sarıtaş, Deniz Dilek, Umut Akkoyun, Mert Özdemir, Mert Alkaya, and Berk İlkel were among the athletes who captured doubles titles in ITF tournaments. İpek Öz successfully represented our country in the qualifying rounds of Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
In September, Zeynep Sönmez finished as runner-up at the WTA 125 Zavarovalnica Sava Ljubljana tournament. With this result, she became the youngest Turkish player to reach the singles final at a WTA-level event. The year 2024 marked a rapid rise in Zeynep Sönmez’s career. In November, she claimed the title at the WTA 250 Merida Open in Mexico, becoming the second Turkish player in history to win a WTA title after Çağla Büyükakçay. She also climbed to No. 88 in the world rankings.
At the national team level, we witnessed truly proud achievements. In May, our Quad National Team, consisting of Ahmet Kaplan, Uğur Altınel, Ali Ataman, and Fatih Karataş, secured a historic runner-up finish at the world championships, earning Türkiye its first-ever second place in this category. We extend our sincere thanks to our Quad National Team for successfully representing our country in one of the world’s most prestigious wheelchair tennis events.
In 2024, the Turkish Women’s National Team, consisting of Çağla Büyükakçay, İpek Öz, Zeynep Sönmez, Berfu Cengiz, and Ayla Aksu, maintained its position in the Europe/Africa Group I, where the top-performing tennis nations compete, for the 11th consecutive year. Türkiye is currently ranked 30th among 141 countries in the Billie Jean King Cup.
Also in 2024, the Turkish Men’s National Team, composed of Altuğ Çelikbilek, Cem İlkel, Yankı Erel, Ergi Kırkın, and Cengiz Aksu, maintained its position in World Group I. Türkiye currently ranks 33rd among 162 countries in the Davis Cup. We extend our heartfelt support to all our national teams.
Among our young athletes rising through the ranks, Kaan Işık Koşaner placed third in Europe at the 16&U European Junior Championships held in Parma, Italy, in September. Another young athlete, Atakan Karahan, reached the quarterfinals of the US Open Juniors in September, becoming the first Turkish tennis player ever to reach the quarterfinals in singles at a Grand Slam junior tournament. At the prestigious Orange Bowl, one of the world’s top junior tournaments held in the United States, our players claimed one title and one runner-up finish. Deniz Dilek won the doubles title, while Samim Filiz finished second in doubles.
Our referees have continued to represent us successfully on the international stage. In July, Esin Kıratlı, one of our international white badge umpires, became the first Turkish female umpire to receive certification for hawk-eye officiating in Türkiye.
These achievements have once again demonstrated the great potential of Turkish tennis and the high level of competitiveness of our youth on the international stage. I wholeheartedly believe that the determination, effort, and perseverance behind all these successes are signs of even greater victories to come.
Through our Tennis League, Turkish Championships, and Davis Cup matches, tennis fans joined us in our excitement via TV broadcasts. To further increase interest in Turkish tennis and ensure the sport reaches broader audiences, we are continuing our efforts to expand our presence on television and digital platforms in the upcoming period.
Dear members of the Turkish tennis community and valued tennis enthusiasts,
I would like to express my gratitude to the General Assembly for entrusting me and our Board of Directors with this responsibility in 2024. As we enter 2025, we are stepping into a new period during which we will work with all our strength for the sustainable future of Turkish tennis. In the new year, we will continue our efforts with determination and commitment, in collaboration with all stakeholders of our tennis community, to achieve our goals.
On the other hand, many brands that see investing in tennis as an “investment in the country’s future” are quickly taking action through sponsorship activities and partnerships. As the Turkish Tennis Federation, while implementing the Turkish Tennis Initiative, we aim to benefit from innovative financial methods. If we are to build a strong tennis brand for Türkiye, we must complement the public resources provided to us with private capital and blended finance solutions.
Under the scope of branding Turkish tennis, we are working on expanding the player base, enabling our clubs, key stakeholders in athlete development, to secure resources and sustain their presence, and developing areas such as veteran and recreational tennis. Other priorities include establishing a widespread and balanced tournament network, boosting tennis tourism, promoting good governance and merit-based management, ensuring access to facilities, and training competent technical staff to bring tennis to broader audiences and achieve sustainable success. Our aim is to build a system capable of producing athletes at the Olympic level. To achieve this, we must institutionalize our structure. Another objective is to establish an accountable and transparent federation model with both internal and external auditing. None of these goals can be achieved independently, they must all work together.
Institutions supporting the Tennis Fund we will establish to operationalize this entire system should understand that this is a medium- to long-term project, an investment that requires patience. We will monitor and report how the resources allocated from this fund to our athletes are spent and what outcomes are achieved. In fact, our sponsors will be following the progress of this story alongside us.
The year 2025 will be a milestone for Turkish tennis, during which we will lay the foundations of the system we aim to establish.
I extend my gratitude to all our athletes, clubs, coaches, referees, and sponsors who have contributed their efforts along this journey we walk together.
I wish 2025 brings health, happiness, and peace to the entire world. With the belief that we will continue to experience great achievements in Turkish tennis together, I celebrate the new year of our tennis family and wish you a healthy and tennis-filled year ahead.
31 December 2024
