Annual Report Maria Sakkari: The Year of Unused Opportunities – Three
Maria Sakkari had her this year's and her career high ranking in March with 3rd place in the world ranking points. She is currently the sixth best tennis player in the world.
by Victoria Moser
last edit:
Dec 29, 2022, 03:30 pm
Things didn't look good for the likeable Greek at the Grand Slams this year. Her best result was the 4th round of the Australian Open, in Paris she did not get past the 2nd round. Last year she had achieved her best Grand Slam result there (last year she was also in the last four in New York) when she lost in the semifinals to eventual tournament winner Krejcikova. At Wimbledon she was beaten in the third round by Tatjana Maria, who made it to the semi-finals, and at the US Open it was over after the second round.
First half of the season
The first final awaited Sakkari in mid-February. In St. Petersburg she faced Anett Kontaveit, who ultimately won the thriller match 5:7, 7:6 (4), 7:5. Sakkari also lost to Swiatek in the final of the WTA Tour 1000 tournament in Indian Wells. In the whole clay court season she did not achieve exceptional results.
Second half of the season
The 26-year-old was also unsuccessful on grass. She made it to the final in Parma in September/October, but again she couldn't hold her own against Mayar Sherif (to her credit she had to play both the semifinals and the final in the same day). At the end of the year, Maria Sakkari shone again when she reached the final at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, the winner was Jessica Pegula. At the WTA Finals in Texas, she was the first player to qualify for the semi-finals, but still lost to Caroline Garcia 3-6, 2-6.
Conclusion
Overall, this is the season of missed opportunities. Maria Sakkari is missing the last bit to win titles. Despite this, she is fighting incredibly and has improved from 2021 with only one final appearance. The statistics show four finals, seven semi-finals and eight quarter-finals. Let's hope Sakkattack does better next year.