SUMMARY
- Maria Sakkari had a difficult time on the WTA tour in the 2023 season.
- Maria Sakkari opened up on the ordeals she had to go through during some of the matches.
The 2023 WTA season saw Maria Sakkari play 63 matches and win 38 of them. She had won the title in Guadalajara and was the runner-up in Washington. Sakkari had started the year as No. 6 and ended the season as No. 9. It was a tough season for her, as she exited in the opening round at three of the four grand slams. Sakkari opened up to her about the troubles she faced on tour last year.
The Greek player shared her feelings about the previous year’s testing of her mental limits. Sakkari had reached the third round of the Australian Open. She mentioned having panic attacks and struggling to breathe between matches. She said, “I have all these people saying that when I get to the later stages of a tournament, I’m guaranteed to lose.” Her consistency was badly impacted.
In her recent insights and stories shared in the new season of Break Point, Maria Sakkari said:
“Last year, everything was going great. Getting to #3 in the rankings, but then there was a decline. I lost my mind a little bit. It came so fast. Just the idea of being that close to… pic.twitter.com/MWoJK3YsJi
— Tennis Couch Talk (@tennis_cou94540) January 9, 2024
Sakkari had to end the 2023 season with four consecutive losses. She had secured a win at the China Open in October and played in two events after that. But the 28-year-old regained her composure with the help of a psychologist and her family. As a result, she has started the 2024 season with three straight-set wins, which included two bagels at the United Cup.
Maria Sakkari is looking sharp ahead of the Australian Open
The 2024 Australian Open is set to start in four days. Players have finished warming up by playing events in Auckland and Adelaide. The first event of the season was the United Cup, where few stars managed to rack up notable wins. Sakkari played three matches at the event and only dropped 13 games. She has been in good form this season and will look to perform well in Melbourne.
Sakkari has been playing at the Australian Open since 2016. She reached the fourth round for the first time at the Grand Slams in 2020 in Australia. Sakkari’s best performance in Australia has been reaching the fourth round in 2020 and 2022. Last year, world No. 8 exited in the third round, and it ended up being her best grand slam result of the season.
It will be Sakkari’s ninth appearance in Australia, and she is expected to go beyond the fourth round. She is only four victories away from clinching 50 grand slam wins in her career. She currently has 13 wins at the Australian Open and eight losses. Given her current form, she stands as one of the favorites to take the title. Sakkari has taken a rest after the United Cup and is back on the courts in Melbourne.