'Addicted' to improvement: Kim Birrell on life in the top 100

Kimberly Birrell representing Australia during April's BJK Cup qualifiers in Brisbane. (Getty/Chris Hyde)

A healthy sign of Kim Birrell's comfort with her first extended residency in the WTA's top 100 is that a sometimes daily check recently became a surprise realisation of how long it had been since the popular Queenslander had looked.

Just as Australian men's No. 1 Alex de Minaur admitted pre-Wimbledon that he had developed an unhelpful fixation on the number next to his name, our homegrown women's No. 3 has embraced a lower-stress approach with the help of coach Nicole Pratt.

One that has come almost organically.

"It's something that each tennis player dreams of, getting to the big 'top hundred' - although it was a little bit anti-climactic because you put so much pressure on that number," Birrell told The First Serve ahead of the Montreal and Cincinnati events, her Washington qualifying bid having been hampered by an untimely infection.

"But being able to really cement myself inside 100 has helped so much, and I actually haven't been checking my ranking much at all. If I need to know that something's happening or something's dropping off, I know that Pratty's going to tell me."

By entering the code TFS2025, you will receive 15% off the RRP on all non-sale items when you shop online at www.racquetworld.com.au

It was back in 2023 that Birrell first experienced the hard-earned privilege of double-figures, and all the accompanying benefits - WTA 1000s experience, greater scheduling certainty for planning purposes, plus direct entry to the lucrative Slams.

Yet it was only this year that the current world No.76 has managed a lengthy stay.

"It was a long time coming," Birrell said, having squeezed in a four-day post-Wimbledon break in Sardinia before heading to North America. "I had a little bit of a taste of playing some of the bigger tournaments in the last few years, but doing it consistently is massive.

"Being able to book my flights, and even being able to take this holiday, I was only able to do that because I knew exactly what I was going to be playing before and after Wimbledon. So that's taken a lot of pressure off.

"And obviously playing events in really nice cities, better hotels, and getting to invest the money that I've earned back into having a great coach and having my partner travel a bit, my brother, helping him, and having my family come over, they're all things I've been able to do because of being at this ranking."

Building on a maiden tour-level final at the Japan Open last October, Birrell's season started with a stunning Brisbane International upset of world No.8 Emma Navarro en route to her first WTA 500-level quarter-final - the highlight of 21 wins from her first 28 matches on her favoured hardcourts.

And, despite a lean time at the majors, the 27-year-old - who missed the second half of 2019 and all of 2020 after two elbow surgeries and was unsure if she would even play again - has been inside the top 80 ever since peaking at No.60 in early May.

She credits the influence of Pratt since "begging" for help from the respected mentor at the end of Wimbledon last year; Pratt having provided clarity around goal-setting and specific areas of her game, but also the message that these things take time.

"Then when I started to see those improvements and when that came through on the match court, it was just the best feeling and I kind of got, like, addicted to it," Birrell shared with a laugh.

"It's crazy what winning a couple of matches at a higher level can do, and you just gain the confidence and the momentum and you start to feel like you belong.

"One thing is I guess I just can sometimes get caught up in trying to fix or think about too many things at one time, and she really helped me to quiet some of those voices in my mind, I guess.

"And especially some doubt in terms of my serve and my forehand, and even just giving me the belief that I didn't need to do too much, just focus on those one or two things and then go to the next thing. And that what I'm doing is good, it's right, and just to keep keep going and if you keep putting in the work day in and the day out then the results will come - eventually!"

Even Pratt has been surprised by the rapid progress which translated into a career-high ranking in 2025, and rates coachability as one of Birrell's greatest strengths.

That is, as she told The First Serve: willingness to adjust her game, coupled with the belief it would begin to come together.

"Next steps for Kim is continue to trust the process, learn from the new experiences she has gained from this year competing against higher ranked opponents week in, week out and manage energy levels at the Grand Slams."

A collegiate approach includes sharing Pratt for some stretches on the road now that Storm Sanders has returned from injury, and working at several tournaments in her absence with Brisbane National Tennis Academy Head Chris Mahony, who travels with rising star Maya Joint.

Birrell is friendly with the US-raised Joint, now the national No.2 behind recent import Daria Kasatkina, ribbing her about her American accent and teaching the teenager some Aussie slang. Reckons she is seeing results there, too.

As for Kasatkina's defection, Birrell admits she had no inkling it was coming - "I don't think anyone was not surprised" - but with more information has come to understand and appreciate the reasons behind the Russian's defection.

"I haven't been through anything like what she has, but I really empathise with her situation and I think it's amazing that she's been able to be welcomed into a country like ours," Birrell said of Kasatkina.

"I've really enjoyed getting to know her a little bit more over the last couple of months… (and) hopefully I get to know her even more now that she's Aussie."

This will be Birrell's third US Open main draw, the most at any Slam outside Australia, but her first direct entry.

The last major of the year is her final chance to log a singles match win, however, having suffered an emotional 6-2, 6-2 defeat against lucky loser Eva Lys at Melbourne Park, where she was overlooked for a wildcard despite being the host nation's top-ranked woman.

The salvation was a morale-boosting run to the AO mixed doubles final with JP Smith - losing there to Olivia Gadecki and John Peers - but able to "sort of get back on the horse after my first round singles and find the joy in competing and playing more doubles, which has been a big goal of mine for a long time.

"It was a really cool experience and obviously getting to stay towards the end of a Slam — I was there from the start of qualifying to the second last day of the tournament —  and it being at home in Melbourne, and then having all four Aussies in the final, it was really special experience."

Less so the challenging Parisian clay, where Birrell took just one game from Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, before succumbing to extreme nerves and 22nd seed Donna Vekic on her Wimbledon debut,.

A fondness for grass does not lessen the relief that the hardcourt swing has now started, with the perennial concern of significant points dropping off still a few months away.

Yet not since April has Birrell been home to the Gold Coast apartment she has bought with partner Matt Fraser and the pair shares with Alfie the spoodle, so a break was needed, and four days in Italy before the US hardcourt swing came at the ideal time.

"Obviously I do wish that my results had been a little bit better at the last two Slams," Birrell admitted. "But I think in tennis you have to be a bit of a goldfish and sort of forget some of those matches, and we're lucky that each week's a new week and a new opportunity."

Experience the perfect blend of passion and performance at Racquet World, the ultimate destination for tennis enthusiasts throughout Australia. Explore their extensive selection of Tennis, Padel, and Pickleball gear. For all First Serve listeners, by entering the code TFS2025, you will receive 15% off the RRP on all non-sale items at their online store - www.racquetworld.com.au