By the time Lulu Sun reached middle school, she was facing a significant identity crisis. Born in New Zealand to a Chinese mother and a Croatian father, she went to school in Switzerland. On top of her internal struggles, she was frequently bullied for being the only Asian student in her class.

"Growing up, I often wondered where I fit in," she shared during the Billie Jean King Cup Open in Pune. "As a teenager trying to figure out my place in the world, my sister and I were the only Asian kids at school. We dealt with racism, and it was really challenging."

It was during this time that she dove deeper into tennis. While she wrestled with questions about her heritage, the sport provided her with a sense of identity. On the opening day of the prestigious women's tennis team event, Sun made a strong impression.

On Tuesday, New Zealand kicked off their journey in the Asia/Oceania Group 1 stage against India. After her teammate Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty lost to Aishi Das, Sun, ranked No. 45 in the world and the highest seed in the tournament, leveled the score with a straight-sets victory over Sahaja Yamalapalli. Shortly after, she teamed up with Monique Barry to defeat Ankita Raina and Prarthana Thombare in doubles, securing the tie for her team.

Interestingly, she only began representing New Zealand at the senior level last year, having previously played for Switzerland.

Making that choice was really hard for her since both options felt like a part of her. "But I realized there was a chance to help the sport grow in New Zealand," she explained.

Looking back, she remembered getting into tennis mainly because her older sister wanted to play. "I just ended up joining her," she said.

Her early experiences were "rough," but she enjoyed the routine of finishing school and heading to the court afterward. She was the runner-up in the 2018 Australian Open junior girls doubles and then took her tennis journey to the U.S. for college, where she helped the University of Texas win the NCAA title in 2021.

However, it was her performance on the professional circuit that turned heads when she made it to the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, all thanks to a qualifying wildcard.

"I really wanted to make it to the main draw since the qualifiers are held at a different place," she shared. "I was just thrilled to qualify and compete against the top players. Beating Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen made me feel like I actually have some talent in tennis."

On the court, she found a space where her identity didn’t matter; it was just her and her opponent.

"It's just you and your rival. All you need to do is hit the ball within the lines and over the net," she noted. And on Tuesday, she did just that and so much more.

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