Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 6 March 2025 | Matt Trollope
Kimberly Birrell was modest in her response when requested the way it felt to be Australia’s top-ranked lady.
The Queenslander mentioned it didn’t really change quite a bit for her, and as a substitute gave a shout-out to a lot of her fellow Aussies when discussing the milestone on a current episode of The Sit-Down podcast.
“It’s been cool to I assume be reminded of it in a couple of interviews and take a minute to simply recognize the place I’m at,” she mentioned, “as a result of as a child, if you happen to had have mentioned that I might be ranked the very best in Australia, I simply in all probability wouldn’t have believed it or I simply would have been so amazed.
“Clearly there’s been fairly a couple of accidents inside our feminine cohort inside Australia, so I’m not evaluating myself to the opposite ladies. And I do know that Dasha [Saville] and Ajla [Tomljanovic], after they’re again taking part in at their finest, they’re gonna be ranked effectively inside the highest 100.”
Aussie camaraderie, how good 💚💛
The Sit-Down with @kimbirrell98 🎧 https://t.co/sxtzlxGsGi pic.twitter.com/Rl1ZV1u1aw
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 24, 2025
Since that interview, Birrell, who peaked at world No.75 after a scorching begin to 2025, has been joined – as she predicted – by Tomljanovic within the prime 100, in addition to teenaged expertise Maya Joint. Along with Olivia Gadecki, there are actually 4 Aussie ladies inside the highest 100 for the primary time since 2019. Saville can also be knocking on the door, poised to make it 5 after coming inside a set of the current Merida ultimate, a WTA 500 match.
It’s an Australian ladies’s tennis surge that has stuffed Birrell with pleasure, and bodes effectively forward of the nation’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier tie towards Colombia and Kazakhstan subsequent month.
RANKING MOVERS: Australian ladies surge into prime 100
“I’ve represented Australia in BJK Cup a couple of occasions now, and I simply have the perfect time each single time, and it’s such an honour to signify Australia and to put on the inexperienced and gold,” she mentioned. “So to have the ability to try this in April, after which to have it in Brissy, in what’s principally my dwelling city, can be completely superb. I feel I can converse for the entire ladies that I hope we are able to deliver some actually good tennis and maintain doing what we do on court docket and make everybody proud.
“I feel it’s actually particular that we’re all nice mates off court docket, and all the women are such good folks, and other people I genuinely need to be round on a regular basis – it’s not onerous after we get to be collectively as a crew.
“Truthfully we in all probability want we may do it extra actually because we’ve got such a good time after we get the possibility to [represent Australia together].”
A fast scan of Birrell’s social media proves simply how sturdy the bond runs between Australia’s elite ladies gamers.
Whether or not it’s on the coaching court docket, in doubles, out for dinner throughout tournaments, on the Newcombe Medal Blue Carpet or when attending live shows or weddings, the enjoyment after they all come collectively is evident.
“As a person sport, tennis can get fairly lonely, and significantly coming from Australia, we stay fairly far-off from the remainder of the world and we don’t get the possibility to come back dwelling too usually between tournaments,” Birrell defined. “So I feel all of us type of search for that camaraderie, not simply inside the BJK Cup weeks however all year long too.
“It actually was set by instance with Sam [Stosur], Casey [Dellacqua], Mol [Alicia Molik], Pratty [Nicole Pratt], and you may simply inform they have been all nice buddies, too. I actually seemed as much as that, so it’s cool that we’ve type of been in a position to proceed that.
“But it surely’s simply really easy, as a result of everybody’s so good, and we comply with one another’s outcomes and ship messages, and yeah, I really feel actually privileged to be part of it.”
Two of these former Australian greats – Stosur and Pratt – have been vital in Birrell’s rise to a career-high place, which started in earnest within the second half of 2024 when she certified for the US Open then reached the WTA ultimate in Osaka.
Stosur, Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup crew captain, sat in her entourage as Birrell stormed to the quarterfinals in Brisbane, her first match of the yr. Stosur later introduced Birrell as her first choose for the Aussie BJK Cup squad subsequent month.
Convey it on, Brisbane! @BJKCup is BACK 🙌
🇦🇺 Australia
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
🇨🇴 ColombiaGet across the inexperienced and gold for this qualifying spherical at Pat Rafter Area – Tickets on sale tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/1J8JJi0HeH
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) February 19, 2025
Birrell’s spike in type has coincided with working extra carefully with Pratt, the nationwide ladies’s crew coach who got here on board in a extra structured method after Wimbledon.
Her spirits have been buoyed additional by the comeback of Storm Hunter, one other Pratt protege with whom Birrell is at present travelling.
“It’s so superb to see Stormy again on court docket, and I’m so pumped for her that she’s going to be taking part in,” Birrell mentioned. “I’ve actually missed her on tour the final 10 months, so when she mentioned she was coming again for Austin, I couldn’t have been happier.
“I’ve simply been so fortunate to have Pratty in my nook, and particularly within the final 12 months, however all through my complete profession principally. She’s been there, and she or he’s such an advocate for ladies’s tennis.
“I feel we make a terrific crew. I like having the ability to share these experiences along with her and journey a little bit bit extra along with her, and I’ve simply discovered a lot. She’s such a wealth of data; I don’t assume many individuals know extra in regards to the ladies’s sport than she does.
“So to have somebody like that in your nook is fairly superb.”
Birrell has since led a gaggle of 4 Aussie ladies into the principle draw at Indian Wells this week. The highest seed in qualifying, Birrell gained two matches in straight units to guide her spot within the prestigious WTA 1000 area, and was joined by Tomljanovic, Joint and Maddison Inglis.
MORE: Aussies set for Indian Wells as six qualify for essential draw
With the wind of their sails, the timing couldn’t be excellent with nationwide illustration on the horizon, and spots but to be stuffed within the Australian Billie Jean King Cup crew.
There’s a wholesome competitors and optimistic feeling among the many group, and in what’s already shaping as a banner season for Australia’s ladies, we may see success breed extra success.
