Maria Sakkari ripped a Greek tennis site as “laughable” after they described hers and Stefanos Tsitsipas’ top-10 exits as “a historic low for Greek tennis.”
After not leaving the top-10 for two and a half years, Sakkari exited the top-10 club this Monday as the 28-year-old Greek is now ranked at No. 11 in the world. Following her run to the US Open semifinal in 2021 September, Sakkari broke into the top-10 for the first time in her career and spent there over 100 weeks.
On the other side, Tsitsipas also exited the top-10 this week as the 25-year-old Greek is also now ranked at No. 11 in the world. It is the first time since 2019 March that Tsitsipas is ranked outside the top-10 in the world.
But before exiting the top-10, Sakkari – a former world No. 3 – made Greek tennis history by becoming the highest-ranked ever Greek woman. The same goes for former world No. 3 Tsitsipas when it comes to Greek men’s tennis history.
Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
Still, Sakkari and Tsitsipas both got called out by Tennis24 Greece after their top-10 exits were confirmed.
“A historic low for Greece in the men’s and women’s rankings in the last two and a half years. @steftsitsipas and @mariasakkari dropped out of the top 10 both occupying 11th place in #ATPRankings and #WTARankings respectively as of today,” the post read.
Sakkari noticed the post and issued a pretty strong and blunt reaction: “Did you give this much thought before writing it? Because of this, tennis will not go forward in our country. You are laughable!”
Maria Sakkari X response © Maria Sakkari – X
Sakkari made a coaching change after exiting the top-10
After a first-round bye in Doha, Sakkari lost in the Doha second round after Linda Noskova beat the Greek 3-6 7-6 (2) 7-5. In that match, Sakkari had a 6-3 5-3 lead and a match point before blowing a big lead and losing in three sets.
After that loss, Sakkari’s top-10 exit was confirmed. Two days later, Sakkari took to Instagram to announce the departure of her coach of six years Tom Hill.
“Tom, Thank you for all the emotions, the support on and off the court, and the belief you had in me since day one. We grew together, and you helped me realize that everything is possible. Not only did you make me a better tennis player, but you also made me a better person,” Sakkari announced on Instagram following last week’s Doha loss.
“Thank you for always wanting the best for me and for always having my back! Good luck on the next chapter in your career.”
Hill, who started working with Sakkari way before she was the player she is today, said he was proud of what they were able to achieve and added he and the Greek tennis split on good terms.
“Our journey has been filled with incredible achievements: climbing to a career high of world number 3, Grand Slam semifinals, a WTA 1000 title and 125 consecutive weeks in the Top 10.
“Maria is not only an incredible athlete but a great person. Working with Maria has been an absolute privilege and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together.
“We both believe this is a step forward in our respective paths, allowing us to explore new opportunities and exciting challenges that lie ahead.”
Maria Sakkari and Tom Hill© Getty Images Sport – Hector Vivas
Sakkari won her first match since exiting the top-10
After suffering a heartbreaking exit in Doha, Sakkari returned to action at this week’s WTA 1000 event in Dubai. Sakkari, who had a first-round bye as the eighth-seeded player, started her Dubai run on Tuesday with a 6-2 6-4 win over Emma Navarro.
Sakkari started the match well, breaking Navarro in the opening game before also serving out the following game for a 2-0 lead. Down by an early break, Navarro quickly responded as she broke back Sakkari in the fourth game to tie the first set to two games apiece. However, blowing an early break didn’t impact Sakkari, who claimed back-to-back breaks in the fifth and seventh games and won four games in a row to seal the first set.
The second set started exactly as the first set as Sakkari opened a 2-0 lead before Navarro came back to level it to two games apiece. In the fifth and sixth games, Sakkari and Navarro traded breaks and found themselves tied at three games apiece through the opening six games.
After twice blowing a break in the second set, Sakkari broke Navarro again in the seventh game before confirming her break in the following game to go 5-3 up. In the 10th game – when Sakkari was serving for the match – the Greek saved a break point before converting her first match point to complete a two-set win over Navarro.
Maria Sakkari© Getty Images Sport – Christopher Pike
For a place in the Dubai quarterfinal, Sakkari will play against 26th-ranked Jasmine Paolini. In their first and lone meeting, Sakkari defeated Paolini in the 2021 French Open second round.
For Sakkari, beating Paolini and then making a deep Dubai run would certainly be exactly what she needs after a disappointing Doha run.
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