Exclusive Interview with İpek Öz - Issue #39
İpek Öz took the time to speak to us about tennis, childhood, and Turkey.
Written by Dove Sallow
This week, we had the opportunity to talk to someone very special. As a woman who admires other women who aim to lead, I've followed İpek Öz's career for the last few years. Coming from a country without many top tennis players, I've always admired her passion to chase her dreams. At just 23 years of age, Ipek has traveled all over the world and has worked tirelessly to give herself the best possible shot of succeeding in this beautiful, crazy sport we call tennis. But what happens when hard times come? What happens when catastrophe strikes? What do you do when the largest earthquake in your country's history since 1939 leaves 1.5 million civilians homeless? As I tried to process the devastation of what I was seeing on the news, I asked myself "What would I do?" The truth is, I have absolutely no idea. I felt helpless for the Turkish people who lost their homes and loved ones, but I also felt helpless for myself. No donation I gave or prayers I sent would ever feel like enough. About 1 week later, I was watching tennis and saw a familiar face on TV. She walked onto the court in Doha draped in a flag. The flag glistened a vibrant red and was adorned with a white crescent moon and a star. İpek Öz looked like a true leader when she walked on court that day draped in the Turkish flag. Seeing her standing there made me feel hopeful for her and for the Turkish people. Watching her represent her country in the face of so much sorrow and uncertainty had just answered my question. When disaster comes to your home, you stand up taller and prouder than ever before. I'm grateful and thankful to İpek for taking the time to speak with us. We talked about tennis, childhood, and of course, Turkey.
Q1: Who did you look up to most growing up? Not in tennis, but in life.
A1: I can’t give only one name. I think my family, my friends, my teachers, and my coaches. They all taught me something in life. I think every person has a meaning in our lives. Either they change us in a good way or they give us some lessons.
Q2: In Qatar, you walked out on court draped in the Turkish flag. With the devastation the earthquake left behind in your home country, people are still trying to recover. Do you have a message for your people?
A2: That week was so tough for me. I was on my phone all the time, checking on people to see how they are doing. I saw many tweets about some people asking for a bottle of water or a shelter. I was so sad about it. I really don’t know what to say because it is almost impossible to emphasize something like that. I wish them health and patience. They lost many things in the earthquake disaster. I hope they’ll be better soon.
Q3: What is your best piece of advice you can give to young junior tennis players?
A3: It doesn’t matter if you win or lose. Trust me, it really doesn’t matter. Please enjoy the process. Don’t think about success. And remember, everybody has their own time, don’t compare yourself with others!
Q4: Who are your tennis heroes?
A4: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Petra Kvitova.
Q5: If you weren't a tennis player, what would your job be?
A5: I like talking. Like a lot. I’m a talkative person. That’s why I would be a psychologist.
Q6: What is your earliest tennis memory?
A6: I think it is one of our practices in Antalya when I was around 6-7. There were 20 kids on court, we weren’t playing. We were just playing with the ball around the court, learning how to hold the racket.
Q7: What is your favorite thing about being a tennis player?
A7: Traveling all around the world and meeting with new people. It’s good to know that I always have someone to call in every country in the world if I need help or something.
Q8: What are your goals for the 2023 season?
A8: I would like to get back to the Top 200 again. This is my first goal. Then I want to qualify in one of the Grand Slams.
Q9: What is your hidden talent?
A9: I really don’t think that I have a hidden talent. Even if I did have a hidden talent, I would definitely talk about it and it wouldn’t be hidden anymore (smiles).
Q10: Out of the 948 medals won by Turkish athletes in the European championships in 2022, female athletes won 521 of them. Men won 427 medals, despite the fact that there were 8,000,962 licensed male athletes and only 5,566,196 female athletes. So female athletes only make 41% of the licensed athletes in Turkey, but they've proven themselves to be more successful than the men. They also won 61% of Turkey's medals in the 2022 world championships. This is incredibly impressive. As a female Turkish athlete, how important is it for women to be included in sports and given the same opportunities as men?
A10: There is one fact that I agree with is in some sports, men sell more. But, if they give us same opportunities, same promotions, we can also do the same. Today in sports, it’s all about advertisements. Your question made me happy because I didn’t know about this fact. Nobody talk about it. We are interesting to watch and we can do better. Unfortunately, nobody is equal in this world, but our rights can be equal. We should work on this more. I’m proud of every women athlete out there!
Q11: Çağla Büyükakçay is the highest ranked WTA player ever from Turkey. Did she inspire you growing up?
A11: Of course she did. She won her WTA title in 2016. I watched all of her matches in that tournament. After the final I was like “Okay, she did it. So I can do it too. I want to be a pro tennis player and I want to win WTA titles.”
Q12: Whats your relationship like with her?
A12: We are friends but she is more like a big sis to me. I can ask anything to her and she is always there to help me. She is supporting me throughout my career. Especially in BJK Cup matches she is like the assistant coach. She helps the team with everything she can. But not just her, also Pemra Özgen has the same effect on me and on other Turkish players. They literally know everything about the tour life. I’m always in touch with them and I think we’re so lucky to have them!
Q13: Who got you interested in tennis?
A13: My family. My sister is a former volleyball player and my family wanted me to play an individual sport, so they chose tennis.
Q14: What is your favorite shot to hit?
A14: Dropshot.
Q15: What is your favorite surface to play on?
A15: Clay court is home for me.
Q16: What is your favorite place you've ever visited?
A16: Rome.
Q17: What was the craziest tennis match you've ever watched?
A17: 2019 Roger Federer-Novak Djokovic Wimbledon final.
Q18: Coming from a country without a lot of tennis history, do you think the sport is growing in Turkey?
A18: Yes, I think every year it’s getting better.
Q19: Barbora Krejcikova recently said she is donating all of her prize money from the Billie Jean King Cup to help those who've been affected by the earthquake, how crucial is this support in times like these?
A19: I’m so grateful for this. We’re all grateful. Because after the earthquake disaster, I expected more things from tennis players. Because there are many tennis players who played ITF tournaments in Turkey. They’ve been in this country many times. I was disappointed a bit. Tennis is a huge sport in the world. With tennis players help, we definitely could do more. So what Barbora did is amazing, such a nice person! Thanks for understanding us and our pain.
I’d like to thank İpek Öz once again for taking the time to do this interview. She has been a beaming example of strength and hope for the people of Turkey during this difficult time. The earthquake took an estimated 59,259 lives. 50,783 in Turkey and 8,476 in Syria. It is the deadliest earthquake in what is now present-day Turkey since the 526 Antioch earthquake and the deadliest natural disaster in its modern history. Although the physical damage has been devastating, the emotional damage that the people of Turkey live with every day is unimaginable.
If you’d like to donate, this is İpek’s charity of choice. DONATE HERE. In times like these, even a dollar can make a difference.
İpek also took the time to do a fun series we call Humanizing Tennis Players where we ask professional tennis players fun questions so fans can learn more about them off the court.
Favorite color - Orange
Favorite food - Turkish kebap
Favorite person - My mom
Favorite drink - Ayran
Favorite animal - Dog
Favorite player to watch - Rafael Nadal
Favorite movie - Inception
Favorite song - The Script - Hall of Fame ft. will.i.am
Vanilla or chocolate - Chocolate
Favorite holiday - Summer holiday
Favorite hobby - Hanging out with my friends
Favorite sport other than tennis - Volleyball
What would your superpower be - Teleportation
Guilty pleasure - Junk food
Coffee or tea - Turkish tea
Sushi or Pizza - Sushi
Sunset or Sunrise - Sunset
Mountains or Beach - Beach
Favorite season - Spring
Want to keep up with İpek Öz? Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
