Maria Sakkari: At 26, the "veteran" feels at the perfect tennis age
Maria Sakkari (WTA No. 18) surprisingly made it into the semifinals at the US Open - thanks to surprising serve strength. Among the last four, she is the experienced one.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit:
Sep 09, 2021, 03:39 pm
A tweet from the US Open in person caused some amusement. "So the 18-year-old qualifier and the veteran Maria Sakkari are playing for a place in the US Open final," they read - and had to take a quick look. So far, Serena Williams, Roger Federer or good old (haha) Ivo Karlovic have been described as "veterans". Maria Sakkari, however, is only 26 years old.
On the other hand, you have to see everything in relation. And then Sakkari has company of much younger colleagues in the semifinals: Emma Raducanu is 18, Leylah Fernandez is 19 and Aryna Sabalenka is 23. So we let the veteran get away with this. Especially since Sakkari played her first ITF tournament in 2010.
Sakkari with second Grand Slam semifinals
Veteran or 26 years ago: 2021 will be the year of the great breakthrough for the Greek. At the French Open, she had reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time and lost 5: 7, 6: 4 and 7: 9 against Barbora Krejcikova, but at the US Open you didn't necessarily have to play List. Especially since this year, as you can hear and see, things are going very quickly on the courses in Flushing Meadows, so the topspin does not have the same impact as elsewhere.
In this respect, Sakkari's victory over Karolina Pliskova came as a surprise. The Wimbledon finalist, who maintains her classic Czech school with flat strokes, would have loved to win her first Grand Slam title in New York, the way to the semifinals had rightly raised hopes. Sakkari, however, triumphed above all with Pliskova's greatest weapon: the serve. In the meantime, she won 22 points in a row on her own serve, a mixture of good service and Pliskova's often short returns. "I'm impressed myself," said Sakkari when Pam Shriver pointed out about her series of services. "I trusted my serve, but now I trust it a little more."
Sakkari did not allow a break ball in her 6: 4, 6: 4 victory.
Maria Sakkari: "In the prime of life"
"I think I'm in the prime of my career," said "the veteran" afterwards, "I'm more adult than before." Everyone has a different age when the breakthrough is achieved. "Now, at 26, I might be ready." She came on the tour relatively late, was not a good junior, not a star at 18 or 19 years of age. You have had to work and do without a lot. "But now it's paying off and I'm very happy to have these results at 26."
Sakkari will now meet Emma Raducanu (from approx. 3 am CEST) on one of the two sensation players of the US Open 2021. Sakkari described the run of the youngsters as "great for our sport". But she still trusts herself and her game. Because, according to Sakkari, it feels even better than in Paris. "I am more ready."
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