Maria Sakkari says she is aware of the social media accounts that have criticized her ability in the sport but she is using those comments as motivation.
The world No.6 recently ended her four-year title drought in Mexico where she won the biggest title of her career. At the Guadalajara Open, she beat Caroline Dolehide in straight sets to claim her first WTA 1000 title at the age of 28. Throughout the entire tournament, she didn’t drop a set and beat third seed Caroline Garcia in the semi-finals. It is only the second time in her career that she has won a trophy on the women’s Tour.
Sakkari’s triumph comes during what has been a roller-coaster season. In the Grand Slam tournaments, she has suffered a first round loss in three out of four played. On the other hand, she reached the final of the Citi Open in August.
The lack of silverware has opened the door for Sakkari to receive criticism on social media from some. She first broke into the top 10 in 2021 which was the season where she also reached the semi-finals of both the French Open and US Open.
“Social media is a part of our everyday life. You cannot avoid it,” she told WTA Insider. “Coco (Gauff) said she knows the user names. I know them, too. I know the person with a YouTube channel who posts all my semifinal losses, all my final losses. I’m aware.’
“The satisfaction now, I cannot describe it. When you prove all these people wrong, it’s fuel. For me, it worked as fuel. I knew it was going to come, I didn’t know when. Thank you to them. They gave me strength.”
Sakkari says she has drawn inspiration from what Coco Gauff said after winning her maiden major title at the US Open earlier this month. The 19-year-old American is another player who also had to contend with social media criticism. During her post-match press conference in New York, Gauff told reporters that her haters are adding gas to her fire instead of trying to pour water over it.
Although it isn’t Gauff’s comments about dealing with Criticism that has resonated so much with Sakkari. instead, it is how she deals with losing matches.
“I really liked what Coco said at the US Open, about how other people have bigger problems than we have when we lose a tennis match, and she’s spot on. I kept thinking about that, and that gave me strength.” She said.
“At the end of the day, it’s just a tennis match. I’m healthy, and that’s the most important thing. Everyone around me, my family, are happy and healthy. Those are the things that I took some time to think about, to remember what’s important in life. Everyone focuses on their own problems, whether they are big, small, important or not important. You forget what’s going on in the rest of the world.”
Sakkari is set to return to action later this week at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo where she is the fourth seed. Granted a bye in the first round, her first match will be against either Petra Martic or Misaki Doi.
