Lulu Sun made a run at this year's ASB Classic in Auckland. Photo / Photosport
Lulu Sun was sitting in a Dubai hotel room in February when she made one of the biggest decisions of her life. The 23-year-old tennis player had just completed a day on court, before sitting down to make the final call.
At the same time, powerbrokers in the sport here were waiting nervously, for they knew what was at stake. It was a choice that in years to come might be celebrated as a turning point for tennis in this country, though it wasn’t easy at the time.
“It was going back and forth, and it is such a tough decision because it is once in your career – you can’t go back from that,” Sun tells the Herald. “It wasn’t easy because you have played for a country for so long, you’re used to representing a country. And I have also lived there. It was super tough but the decision had to be made at some point.”
Sun is referring to her switch of allegiance to New Zealand from Switzerland, which was made official in March. Tennis New Zealand informally approached the World No 132 late last year, before further discussions at the 2024 ASB Classic.
Born in Te Anau, Sun spent the first five years of her life there, before her parents took the family to Switzerland. She later gained a scholarship to the University of Texas and has been pursuing her tennis dreams for more than a decade, travelling the world extensively as a junior, then on the WTA tour.
On the surface, Sun’s switch raised some eyebrows. Switzerland is an established tennis nation with significant resources and a lengthy hall of fame. That’s headed by Roger Federer of course, but also includes Martina Hingis, Stan Wawrinka, Marc Rosset, Patty Schnyder and reigning Olympic women’s champion Belinda Bencic, among many others.
New Zealand enjoyed its tennis heyday in the 1980s and 1990s but times have been tougher since, at least in singles, with Marina Erakovic the only Kiwi to crack the top 100 this century, and Tennis NZ has had limited finances for high performance.
So what made Sun opt for New Zealand? There was a combination of factors.
“To represent a country that I am a part of,” says Sun, in her first interview since the switch was confirmed. “To lift up tennis in New Zealand, to give inspiration to other players is important and to be able to do that for your country, you don’t have that every day. And to be able to have a chance [to go to] the Olympics is something special as well.”
It helped that Tennis NZ, using private donors, put together a financial package to assist with her touring costs, so there wouldn’t be a major shortfall compared with what the Swiss federation provided. But Sun has a genuine affection for this country, cemented during the 2024 ASB Classic, as she experienced huge support during her run through qualifying.
“I was inspired by my experience, since I was so embraced by the fans,” says Sun.
Sun could become a local hero. She’s an instant flagbearer and her profile could increase exponentially, compared with the situation in Switzerland where 10 women are inside the top 400, and she has already garnered corporate interest here.
When you ask Sun about her Te Anau childhood recollections, the answer brings an immediate smile.
“Basically, it is farm life, cows, chickens and sheep,” says Sun. “I would help my sister to pick up the eggs, collect the vegetables and stuff like that. Riding horses, feeding the rabbits. There is not much around. Just forests and farmlands.”
Those experiences left a deep impression. With her grandmother still in Te Anau (she moved here from China in 1998), Sun has visited regularly over the years, as often as she can outside tennis commitments.
“Most of my memories are about spending time in nature with my family,” says Sun. “We have visited all the famous spots, but I’ve also spent time bushwalking, camping and getting my hands dirty.”
Sun also enjoys the sporting culture here, watching the All Blacks when she can.
“I love that people are not only very passionate about sports, but also about nature and protecting the environment,” says Sun.
Sun broke into the top 500 in 2019 as a 17-year-old, when she was juggling ITF tournaments with college commitments. Injuries and the Covid pandemic stymied progress for a while but it has been a steady rise since. She turned professional at the start of 2022, reaching 214 by the end of last year.
In that context, 2024 has been a significant breakthrough. There was the ASB Classic run followed by a special week in Melbourne, where she qualified for a grand slam main draw for the first time. Sun made the second round in Dubai – getting past former world No 2 Paula Badosa – then took out a WTA US$100,000 tournament in Florida last month, which has seen her ranking bounce to No 132.
“Definitely in December if you had told me what I would have done so far, I don’t think I would have imagined it,” laughs Sun.
The next goal is to crack the top 100, which would mean direct entry to grand slams and the bigger WTA tournaments.
“Between 50 to 100-something the level of tennis is quite similar,” says Sun “Everyone at this level, at this point, knows how to play tennis. It is minor details, like if someone is physically stronger, or you see the game well, or you mentally push yourself a little bit more than others. It is those slight nuances that make the difference.”
From there, it is about consistency and persistence.
“A lot of times there are players who go up and then go down; being consistent at the top is a hard feat to do and I would like to do that.”
She could be at the Paris Olympics, though that is dependent on an IOC exemption then NZOC selection.
“It would mean the world, especially playing with Erin [Routliffe], she has so much experience behind her,” says Sun. “It would be an amazing experience but also we would have a chance, we would give them a good fight.”
Life on tour isn’t easy and Sun has been globetrotting since her early teens but she is used to the grind. It also helps that she genuinely enjoys tennis, even having the occasional hit with her family (her older sister was a talented junior, her younger brother is an aspiring golfer) during her time off.
“I’m a very competitive person, thanks to my siblings,” says Sun. “Tennis is such a fun game, even outside the professional level. When I see them, we sometimes play.”
Coach Vladimir Platenik is an ideal mentor – the experienced Slovakian has previously worked with Dominika Cibulkova, Yanina Wickmayer, Polona Hercog, Daria Kasatkina and Nadia Petrova and has been guiding Sun since last October. Sun also travels with a physiotherapist and strength trainer and often has a regular hitting partner.
She will be in action from Monday, as she attempts to navigate through the Roland Garros qualifying tournament, with 16 main draw places up for grabs from 128 entries. Unlike a lot of hardcourt-oriented players, she enjoys the challenge of clay.
“Each surface gives you something different to work on and to feel,” says Sun. “I would like it if clay was less messy on clothes but other than that, I like it. I’ve had a great preparation and have good confidence going into the qualifiers.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns.