WTA: Maria Sakkari comes to Linz
The Upper Austrian Ladies Linz can present the first top star: With Maria Sakkari, a player will come to the Upper Austrian capital at the beginning of February 2023, who has always been at the forefront of the world elite in recent years.
by p.m
last edit:
Dec 21, 2022, 08:18 am
Maria Sakkari! One of the most dazzling personalities in the world of tennis celebrates its premiere at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz ! Tournament director Sandra Reichel is convinced that the 27-year-old Greek will enchant tennis fans at the WTA tournament in the Linz Design Center (February 5 to 12, 2023). "Because Maria is a player who gets under the skin of the fans, she has a very special charisma," says Reichel about the current number six in the world, who not only makes headlines on Center Court.
When Sandra Reichel talks about the Upper Austria Ladies Linz , she always emphasizes: "We are more than a tennis tournament." A sporting and social highlight in Upper Austria, the flair of which Maria Sakkari only knows from hearsay. "I can't wait to finally make my debut at Upper Austria Ladies Linz ! I've heard a lot of good things about the history and the unique atmosphere in Linz! And the city looks beautiful too. These traditional indoor tournaments in Europe have a special charm, and I hope to see many Greek-Austrian fans in the arena!" Keyword charm: Maria Sakkari, who was born in Athens, is not only a person of public interest as a tennis star, but also because her charm was not hidden even from a famous Greek - the world-class player is in a relationship with Konstantinos Mitsotakis, the son of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis!
Sakkari twice in the semifinals of a Major
The tennis gene was inherited from Maria Sakkari: her mother Angeliki Kanellopoulou made it into the top 50 in the world rankings, and her grandfather was also an avid tennis player! Maria has already made it into other spheres, in May 2019 she won her first (and so far only) WTA tournament in Rabat with a final victory over the British Johanna Konta. In 2021, the Greek made it into the semifinals of two Grand Slam tournaments. At the French Open Sakkari failed to Barbora Krejcikova, at the US Open to Emma Raducanu. Sakkari experienced her career highlight on March 21, 2022 as number three in the WTA ranking.
In 2022, Maria Sakkari was happy about an emotional experience of a special kind: At the end of the season, the 27-year-old won the "Jerry Diamond Aces Award" from the women's tour organization WTA. This honor is given to players who represent the sport of tennis in a special way. The laudatory speech said: “This year's award goes to a true leader on and off the pitch. It is a special recognition for a player who is constantly leading the way in popularizing women's tennis with the fans, the media and the local audience.” Maria Sakkari is in good company as the winner, because Gabriela Sabatini, Ana Ivanovic, among others, are in front of her , Martina Hingis and Victoria Azarenka won this award.