Sakkari: "I knew that at some point I was going to start improving"

Maria Sakkari is not going to stop trying. The Greek tennis player, who was inside the Top 10 for three consecutive years, underwent surgery in September 2024 due to a shoulder injury that had been bothering her throughout the year. After being out for three months, her return was not as expected, and the results did not come.

Making it to the Mutua Madrid Open round of 16 was her best result so far. As the weeks went by and with the defeats, her ranking kept dropping to the point that before the start of WTA Washington, she was ranked 90th in the world and needed a Wildcard to enter the main draw.

However, in this beginning of the North American hard court swing, Sakkari seems to be gradually finding her game. She convincingly defeated Katie Boulter in the first round by 6-3, 6-4, and in the second round, she overcame the second seed, Emma Navarro, in a tough match (7-5, 7-6(1)). This way, the Greek player improves her ranking position, rising 18 places to number 72.

And after reaching the quarterfinals of Washington, her first since the 2024 WTA Charleston, Sakkari will face Emma Raducanu. But before the match against the British player, she spoke to Tennis.com. There, she talked about her recovery process, her hopes for this swing, and the feeling of being at home that Washington gives her, as it is the city where she resides.

Happy to feel at home

"I've never stayed home for a tournament. I am very excited to be 'at home' and experience what it's like, as I don't have any tournaments in my country, Greece, and thus be able to experience all the atmosphere when you play in your own tournament. Well, it's not my local tournament, but my adopted home"

Tough match against Navarro

"It's been a step forward. I've raised the level, been solid. The first set was a bit tricky, but I think in the second, I showed a lot of strength."

Happy to see the hard work paying off

"I've worked hard in the last, not 12 months, but more like 9 months, let's say 8 months after coming back from my injury around the same time last year. I knew at some point I was going to start getting better, it's gone well, not what I wanted, but it's a good start. I just feel like, you know, it was going to happen sooner or later. I'm very happy to be able to play good tennis here in Washington because I love this swing. I feel it's very good for my game"

Hard court, where she excels the most

"Hard court is definitely my favorite surface. I also love clay, but I prefer hard court without a doubt. I'm very excited because I had a week off. It has helped me a lot. I feel recharged and ready to face, hopefully, a very complete swing," says Sakkari who after over a year of erratic results and undergoing surgery, seems to have found the key to recover her game.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sakkari: "Sabía que en algún momento iba a empezar a mejorar"