Who was going to say it. It did not come at her best, but the Greek reached two finals in the last month of October, the last one being in Guadalajara. Although in this 2022 she has not yet achieved any title, Maria Sakkari is already in the semifinals of the WTA Finals 2022 after signing a full of victories in the group stage in which a single set has not been left. The number 5 in the world spoke with Tennis Channel after her last victory against Our Jabeur about what this result meant for his confidence, about his rival in the semifinals, still to be decided, and about the sacrifices his grandmother makes to enjoy tennis.
Victory to gain confidence against Ons Jabeur
“That was my goal this time, to keep up the pressure when I had to. When I was 4-1 up I knew I had to keep pushing the throttle. I was already in the semifinals as the first in the group, but adding an important victory for my next match, also trying something different, was my goal today”.
I was nervous before the match. I like them both (Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka), I didn’t really know what to do, it’s a situation I’ve never been in. Once on the track I got distracted doing what I had to do and going for the win. Winning Ons this year is something big”.
your best level
“It’s the best tennis I’ve played this season, it was a matter of time. I don’t think it’s luck. I’ve worked my way to get here. We all have different timings when it comes to displaying our best level, but it’s magnificent. I am building my tennis for next year and I can improve it even during the pre-season. We’ll see how well I can play.”
His next rival: Caroline Garcia or Daria Kasatkina
“I’ve watched most of the games because I spend a lot of time in the room. I have never beaten Garcia, another challenge I would like to face. Both are playing very well and are very different. I am very happy to be in the semifinals and to accumulate three victories”, said Sakkari.
His grandmother’s passion for tennis
“My grandmother has only played one tennis match in her life, but she has been watching it all her life. She gets up in the middle of the night to watch every game, not mine, every game there is. It is her passion”, said Maria, who is being accompanied by her mother and her grandmother these days at the WTA Finals.
