SUMMARY
- Maria Sakkari has faced a lot of failures this season already, and made drastic changes to her team.
- As she split up with her long-time coach, fans noticed an uncanny resemblance between her new coach and Ryan Gosling.
Maria Sakkari is one of the most well-known faces on the tour at present, but she has been struggling to find her rhythm for a while now. In order to counter the string of recent failures, Sakkari has made some drastic changes to her team. One of the biggest changes is that she has apparently employed the services of Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Gosling as her new coach.
Sakkari has had to contend with poor performances for the majority of last season. She has not fared much better this year so far. Sakkari crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round, losing to Elina Avanesyan in straight sets. She then faced first-round defeats in Abu Dhabi and the Qatar Open.
Maria has faced a lot of backlash since dropping out of the top ten WTA rankings. She finally announced that she would be splitting with Tom Hill, who was her coach for six years. However, Maria’s new coach has caught the eye of tennis fans at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Maria Sakkari’s new coach is Kenough pic.twitter.com/9W63c2YoxC
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) February 20, 2024
Sakkari’s new coach is Julien Cagnina. He is a Belgian tennis player, who attained his highest career ATP ranking of world No. 239 in singles.
Eagle-eyed fans immediately noticed his uncanny resemblance to Hollywood actor Ryan Gosling. Many were baffled, with one user joking, “There’s no way that isn’t Ryan Gosling.” Here are a few reactions.
I thought it was Ryan Gosling, for a moment there.
— Mark Lawson (@Lorse72) February 20, 2024
There’s no way that isn’t Ryan Gosling
— Ryan メ𝟶 🏴☠️ (@Wunderxotwod) February 20, 2024
Maria Sakkari’s working partnership with Julien has gotten off to a good start in Dubai. She defeated Emma Navarro to make it to the next round, where she will face Jasmine Paolini.
Maria Sakkari vs. Jasmine Paolini: Match Preview at Dubai Tennis Championships
Sakkari and Paolini will lock horns with each other for the first time in their careers. The anticipation around their matchup is high since Paolini has been on a remarkable run, and Sakkari is just off a great win against Navarro.
Jasmine defeated Brazilian star Beatriz Haddad Maia 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 to set up a clash with Leylah Fernandez. Paolini defeated Fernandez 6-3, 6-4 in straight sets comprehensively.
Sakkari managed to snap her three-match losing streak against Emma after receiving a bye. The Greek player will now play for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Maria Sakkari will try to get her season back on track in Dubai. If she can keep up her winning momentum, Maria will be back in the top ten again very soon. Sakkari will play Paolini on February 21st.