Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 6 March 2025 | Matt Trollope
Kimberly Birrell was modest in her response when asked how it felt to be Australia’s top-ranked woman.
The Queenslander said it didn’t actually change a lot for her, and instead gave a shout-out to many of her fellow Aussies when discussing the milestone on a recent episode of The Sit-Down podcast.
“It’s been cool to I guess be reminded of it in a few interviews and take a minute to just appreciate where I’m at,” she said, “because as a kid, if you had have said that I would be ranked the highest in Australia, I just probably wouldn’t have believed it or I just would have been so amazed.
“Obviously there’s been quite a few injuries within our female cohort within Australia, so I’m not comparing myself to the other girls. And I know that Dasha [Saville] and Ajla [Tomljanovic], when they’re back playing at their best, they’re gonna be ranked well inside the top 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 sizzling start to 2025, has been joined – as she predicted – by Tomljanovic in the top 100, as well as teenaged talent Maya Joint. Together with Olivia Gadecki, there are now four Aussie women inside the top 100 for the first time since 2019. Saville is also knocking on the door, poised to make it five after coming within a set of the recent Merida final, a WTA 500 tournament.
It’s an Australian women’s tennis surge that has filled Birrell with joy, and bodes well ahead of the nation’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier tie against Colombia and Kazakhstan next month.
RANKING MOVERS: Australian women surge into top 100
“I’ve represented Australia in BJK Cup a few times now, and I just have the best time every single time, and it’s such an honour to represent Australia and to wear the green and gold,” she said. “So to be able to do that in April, and then to have it in Brissy, in what’s basically my home town, will be absolutely amazing. I think I can speak for all of the girls that I hope we can bring some really good tennis and keep doing what we do on court and make everyone proud.
“I think it’s really special that we’re all great mates off court, and all the girls are such good people, and people I genuinely want to be around all the time – it’s not hard when we get to be together as a team.
“Honestly we probably wish we could do it more often because we have such a great time when we get the chance to [represent Australia together].”
A quick scan of Birrell’s social media proves just how strong the bond runs between Australia’s elite women players.
Whether it’s on the training court, in doubles, out for dinner during tournaments, on the Newcombe Medal Blue Carpet or when attending concerts or weddings, the joy when they all come together is clear.
“As an individual sport, tennis can get pretty lonely, and particularly coming from Australia, we live pretty far away from the rest of the world and we don’t get the chance to come home too often between tournaments,” Birrell explained. “So I think we all sort of look for that camaraderie, not just within the BJK Cup weeks but throughout the year too.
“It really was set by example with Sam [Stosur], Casey [Dellacqua], Mol [Alicia Molik], Pratty [Nicole Pratt], and you could just tell they were all great friends, too. I really looked up to that, so it’s cool that we’ve sort of been able to continue that.
“But it’s just so easy, because everyone’s so nice, and we follow each other’s results and send messages, and yeah, I feel really privileged to be a part of it.”
Two of those former Australian greats – Stosur and Pratt – have been significant in Birrell’s rise to a career-high position, which began in earnest in the second half of 2024 when she qualified for the US Open then reached the WTA final in Osaka.
Stosur, Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup team captain, sat in her entourage as Birrell stormed to the quarterfinals in Brisbane, her first tournament of the year. Stosur later announced Birrell as her first pick for the Aussie BJK Cup squad next month.
Bring it on, Brisbane! @BJKCup is BACK 🙌
🇦🇺 Australia🇰🇿 Kazakhstan🇨🇴 Colombia
Get around the green and gold for this qualifying round at Pat Rafter Arena – Tickets on sale tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/1J8JJi0HeH
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) February 19, 2025
Birrell’s spike in form has coincided with working more closely with Pratt, the national women’s team coach who came on board in a more structured way after Wimbledon.
Her spirits have been buoyed further by the comeback of Storm Hunter, another Pratt protege with whom Birrell is currently travelling.
“It’s so amazing to see Stormy back on court, and I’m so pumped for her that she’s going to be playing,” Birrell said. “I’ve really missed her on tour the last 10 months, so when she said she was coming back for Austin, I couldn’t have been happier.
“I’ve just been so lucky to have Pratty in my corner, and in particular in the last 12 months, but throughout my whole career basically. She’s been there, and she’s such an advocate for women’s tennis.
“I think we make a great team. I love being able to share these experiences with her and travel a little bit more with her, and I’ve just learned so much. She’s such a wealth of information; I don’t think many people know more about the women’s game than she does.
“So to have someone like that in your corner is pretty amazing.”
Birrell has since led a group of four Aussie women into the main draw at Indian Wells this week. The top seed in qualifying, Birrell won two matches in straight sets to book her spot in the prestigious WTA 1000 field, and was joined by Tomljanovic, Joint and Maddison Inglis.
MORE: Aussies set for Indian Wells as six qualify for main draw
With the wind in their sails, the timing couldn’t be perfect with national representation on the horizon, and spots yet to be filled in the Australian Billie Jean King Cup team.
There’s a healthy competition and positive feeling among the group, and in what is already shaping as a banner season for Australia’s women, we could see success breed more success.
