28 January 2025

Davis Cup Turkey–Mexico World Group I Play-Off Promotional Event Held

The Turkish Men’s National Team will face Mexico in the Davis Cup World Group I Play-Off matches to be held on 1–2 February, hosted by TED Sports Club and sponsored by Brooks Brothers.

The promotional event was held in Istanbul with the participation of İpek Soylu Şemin, Member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Tennis Federation (TTF) responsible for national teams; Erhan Oral, Captain of the Turkish Men’s National Team; Mahir Can Işık, Commercial Director of Brooks Brothers; national athlete Ergi Kırkın; and Melis Yafe, Tournament Director.

İpek Soylu: "We are counting on our fans to turn the away-game advantage in our favor"

İpek Soylu, Member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Tennis Federation (TTF) responsible for national teams, stated that they aim to make the most of the home-court advantage in the upcoming Davis Cup tie.

Emphasizing their excitement, Soylu said, “This is a special week for us. The national team is the place every young athlete dreams of reaching when they first start playing. As a former athlete and now as someone responsible for the national teams, I would like to thank our sponsor. It’s incredibly important for an athlete to feel supported while performing. Seeing our team well-dressed even off the court is something that makes us proud. Our sponsor is a brand that has become synonymous with tennis, and they have been working alongside the federation for two years. TED Sports Club has created a wonderful atmosphere for us. We are counting on our fans to give us the edge as if we were playing away. Our athletes are going through a demanding and successful period. We also thank the Ministry of Youth and Sports for their support.”

İpek Soylu, noting coaching changes within the national teams, stated the following:

“We aimed to improve the quality of both on-court and off-court support. We placed special emphasis on providing equipment to acknowledge athletes in the younger age groups. In successful systems, long-term coaching appointments are made. Our goal during this intensive period is to monitor players closely and track their development. It is important for us to archive and report the paths and steps taken by Grand Slam champions. We are striving to adopt a systematic approach. Hopefully, we will begin to see the benefits in the near future.”

Erhan Oral: "We selected the players who are currently in top form."

Erhan Oral, captain of the Turkish Men’s National Tennis Team, stated that they will face Mexico in five important matches over the weekend.

Expressing confidence ahead of the tournament, Oral said, “We selected the players who are currently in top form. We had a good training camp. Unfortunately, there were some injured players who had to be left out for now.”

Highlighting the importance of sponsorship support, Oral said: “This brand, founded in 1818, not only has a history of over 200 years but also a strong connection with the Davis Cup. The Davis Cup was established in 1900 and has been the world’s largest team championship for over 100 years. Being associated with such a brand is a great source of pride for Turkish tennis and our national team. Our tennis team will look very elegant alongside our sponsor in this honorable role. We have important matches over the weekend in the Davis Cup. The team that wins three matches will secure the series victory.”

Providing information about the Davis Cup format, Oral stated: “A total of 155 countries participate in the Davis Cup. It starts from the World Group and goes down to four groups. We are currently in the World Group I Play-Offs. This group consists of 26 teams, with 13 matches played at home and 13 away. There are Group I Play-Offs and Group I matches. The winners in this stage face the losers from Group I. Simply put, the losing teams move down, and the winning teams move up. We don’t yet know who we’ll face in the next round. Whether we play at home or away depends on our past encounters with that country. If we’ve met before, the host is determined based on where the last match was played. If we haven’t faced them, it’s decided by draw.”

Ergi Kırkın: "Our supporters will help us advance to the next round"

National team player Ergi Kırkın, who was unable to compete in the last Davis Cup due to injury, stated that he strives to become better every year.

Sharing his excitement about competing in the tournament, Ergi Kırkın said, “It’s truly exciting to be playing at home again. We’ve been playing away matches for a while now, so it’s nice to see the event return to Türkiye. I would like to thank our sponsors and the federation for their continued support. We invite our fans to attend the matches. Hopefully, their support will help us advance to the next round.”

Speaking about his goals, the national player added, “I try to improve every year. The biggest tournament I’ve won so far was in Brazil. My current ranking allows me to enter such tournaments, but my next goal is to compete in even higher-level events and eventually qualify for Grand Slams.”

Mahir Can Işık: "We will take pride in the performances of our national athletes"

Mahir Can Işık, Commercial Director of Brooks Brothers, expressed their pride in sponsoring the Turkish National Team’s upcoming matches against Mexico.

Expressing his satisfaction with the sponsorship, Işık said: “Sport is a competitive field that reflects a shared lifestyle in fashion. At Brooks Brothers, we are celebrating our 207th anniversary this year. We've been in the industry for a very long time. Our aim is to reflect the unifying power of sport, its discipline, and the pursuit of excellence. The determination, team spirit, and sense of fairness shown by all our national athletes competing for Türkiye’s success in the Davis Cup serve as an inspiration to us all. We want to emphasize our full support for our athletes in the upcoming matches against Mexico. We will take pride in their performances. We wish the Turkish National Tennis Team the best of success.”

The Turkish Men’s National Tennis Team, captained by Erhan Oral, includes the following players:

Ergi Kırkın, Yankı Erel, Cem İlkel, Mert Naci Türker, and Atakan Karahan.

The Mexican team consists of Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, Alex Hernandez, Rafael Alfonso De Alba Valdes, and Daniel Moreno, with Adrian Contreras serving as team capta

28 January 2025