The 24-year-old Turkish number one arrived at the All England Club as one of her country’s most exciting sporting talents and quickly demonstrated why her international reputation continues to grow.
Wimbledon 2026
Sönmez opened her 2026 Wimbledon campaign with an excellent three-set victory over American 28th seed Ann Li. After edging a closely fought opening set, she recovered from losing the second to secure a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 win and advance to the second round.
The result was another significant victory in a season of steady progress for the Istanbul-born player. It also continued her strong record against Li, whom she defeated in the final of the Mérida Open in Mexico in 2024 to claim her first WTA Tour singles title.
Sönmez’s Wimbledon campaign eventually came to an end against American qualifier Claire Liu, who prevailed 7-5, 6-3 in the second round. Sönmez later acknowledged that she had struggled to implement her intended game plan and praised Liu for producing the better performance on the day.
Although she was disappointed by the defeat, Sönmez had already ensured that her latest appearance at SW19 would be remembered for considerably more than the final result.
A watermelon on her racket
During her matches, eagle-eyed spectators noticed a small watermelon-shaped vibration dampener attached to the strings of Sönmez’s racket, as shown in the top photo.
The watermelon, whose red, green, white and black colours mirror those of the Palestinian flag, has long been used as a symbol of Palestinian identity, cultural pride and resistance. Its appearance on one of Wimbledon’s famous grass courts was a deliberate expression of solidarity by Sönmez.
Zeynep Sönmez during a match at the Wimbledon Championships qualifying round 2024. Photo © Peter Menzel, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia
Speaking after her second-round match, the Turkish player said she had previously worn a Palestine-supporting pin at tournaments but had been told she could not display it at Wimbledon. She said discussions had taken place with tournament officials, during which she questioned why Ukrainian symbols were permitted while her Palestinian pin was not.
“They ultimately told us they definitely would not allow it,” she explained, adding: “That’s why I put the watermelon symbol on my racket.”
Wimbledon subsequently defended Sönmez’s right to use the watermelon-shaped dampener. Tournament director Jamie Baker said the competition generally prohibited political messaging on court but did not consider the small racket accessory sufficiently disruptive to breach its rules.
The understated gesture generated international coverage and earned Sönmez admiration from many supporters of Palestinian rights. Rather than issuing a dramatic on-court statement, she found a quiet but unmistakable way to ensure the people of Palestine were represented on one of world sport’s most prominent stages.
From Istanbul ballgirl to international player
Born in Istanbul on 30 April 2002, Sönmez was introduced to tennis almost by accident. Her parents had initially enrolled her in swimming and basketball classes at a holiday camp, but the young Zeynep repeatedly wandered towards the tennis courts instead.
A coach spotted her enthusiasm and invited her to try the sport. Her ambitions grew after attending the WTA Finals in Istanbul between 2011 and 2013, where she watched leading players including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Li Na.
She later worked as a ballgirl at a WTA event in Istanbul, giving her an early courtside view of the professional game she hoped one day to join.
Her rise through the rankings was gradual. Sönmez had never entered the world’s top 300 before 2023, but a series of strong performances on the ITF and WTA circuits transformed her career.
The breakthrough came at the 2024 Mérida Open, where she defeated Ann Li 6-2, 6-1 in the final. The triumph made Sönmez the first Turkish player to win a WTA singles title since Çağla Büyükakçay’s victory in Istanbul eight years earlier. It also helped her become only the second Turkish woman to enter the world’s top 100.
A Turkish trailblazer at the Grand Slams
Wimbledon already held special significance for Sönmez before this year’s tournament.
In 2025, she became the first Turkish player, male or female, to reach the third round of a Grand Slam singles event during the Open Era. Her run prompted enthusiastic support from London’s large Turkish community, with flags, chants and packed courts giving her matches an atmosphere she described as making her feel at home.
She followed that achievement with another landmark performance at the 2026 Australian Open. After coming through qualifying, Sönmez defeated 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and became the first Turkish woman in the Open Era to win a main-draw match at the tournament. She went on to reach the third round in Melbourne.
Her tennis was not the only reason she attracted attention in Australia. During her first-round match, Sönmez noticed that a ballgirl was unwell and hurried across the court to support her as she appeared to faint.
Explaining her actions afterwards, Sönmez said that being a good human being was more important than being a good tennis player—a sentiment that further endeared her to spectators around the world.
Her progress has continued during the grass-court season. Shortly before Wimbledon, Sönmez came through qualifying in Nottingham and defeated former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, helping her reach a new career-best ranking. She has since climbed to world number 48, the highest position of her career to date.
Making her voice count
Sönmez’s 2026 Wimbledon run may have ended earlier than the historic campaign she produced the previous summer, but the tournament underlined both her development as a player and the strength of her character.
Berlin, Germany - June 15, 2024: Zeynep SONMEZ of Turkiye in action during her WTA 500 Ecotrans Ladies German Open game against Dayana YASTREMSKA of Ukraine at Rot Weiss Tennis Club in Berlin, Germany. Her Palestine watermelon pin is visible on her top. Photo © katatonia82 / Shutterstock.com
On court, she defeated a seeded opponent and showed that she belongs among the sport’s leading competitors. Away from the scoreboard, she demonstrated that athletes can use even the smallest details—a pin, a symbol or a piece of equipment—to draw attention to causes they believe should not be forgotten.
At just 24, Sönmez is already a WTA champion, a Grand Slam history-maker and the highest-ranked Turkish woman in the game. Her Wimbledon appearance also showed that, as her sporting platform grows, she is determined to use it with compassion, courage and a clear sense of social responsibility.
Main image, top: London, 2nd July, 2026, Zeynep Sonmez of Turkiye during the Wimbledon Championships. She has attached a Palestine solidarity watermelon pin to her tennis racket. Credit Image: © Mathias Schulz/ZUMA Press/Alamy
