Maria Sakkari is a Greek professional tennis player, who reached a career-high singles ranking of World No 6 on November 1, 2021, making her the highest ever ranked female Greek player in the Open Era. Maria Sakkari has won one singles title on the WTA Tour at the 2019 Morocco Open. She was also a semifinalist of the 2017 Wuhan Open.
Maria Sakkari was born on July 25, 1995, in Athens, Greece. Her mother was a former top-50 tennis player. Maria Sakkari was introduced by her parents to tennis at age 6 and moved to Barcelona at age 18 in order to train. She has said that her favorite surfaces are hard and clay and that her favorite shot is the serve. She is known for her aggressive, all-court style of play, centered around her strong serve and powerful groundstrokes. Maria Sakkari served the sixth most aces of any WTA player in 2020, with 144 aces served in 31 matches.
Maria Sakkari made her professional TF debut in 2010 at $10,000 Mytilini (Greece), where was defeated in the first round. During the year she took part at the $10,000 Thessaloniki (Greece) but again was eliminated in the first round.
In 2011, she reached her first ITF final at $10,000 Athens (Greece) but failed to win the trophy, losing to Deniz Khazaniuk. A year later, she reached another ITF final at $10,000 Antalya (Turkey), but her second attempt to win a title was unsuccessful too. In 2013, Maria Sakkari lost two more finals – $10,000 Marathon – Athens (Greece) and $10,000 Mytilini (Greece).
However, in 2014 came the first title. Maria Sakkari won the title at $15,000 W15 Heraklion (Greece). After that, during the year, she won three more trophies – $10,000 Bastad (Sweden), $15,000 Nis (Serbia), and $15,000 Tampere (Finland).
In 2015, Maria Sakkari made her WTA debut at WTA 125 Carlsbad Classic, where she reached the semi-finals. During the year she won the titles at $25,000 Maribor (Slovenia) and $15,000 W15 Heraklion (Greece).
Greek tennis babe Maria Sakkari continue playing on both ITF and WTA tours in 2016. She improved her skills and gameplay, reaching better results. She was the runner-up of the $60,000 W60 Saint-Gaudens (France) and the $50,000 Szeged (Hungary). Also during the year, she reached the semi-finals of the $100,000 Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt).
In 2017, Maria Sakkari played in higher-rating tournaments. She made a real breakthrough at the WTA 1000 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, reaching the semi-finals. She also reached the third rounds of the Australian Open, the US Open and Wimbledon.
In 2018, Maria Sakkari reached her first WTA final at the WTA 500 Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, but lost to Mihaela Buzarnescu. During the year, the Greek tennis player reached the fourth round of the WTA 1000 Indian Wells, third round of the WTA 1000 Rome Open, and the French Open / Roland Garros. Thus, she entered the world’s Top 50, ending the year at No 41.
In 2019, Maria Sakkari won her first and only WTA title at WTA 250 Grand Prix De Sar La Princesse Lalla Meryem. She also reached the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Rome Open and WTA 500 Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, as well as the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 Credit One Charleston Open and WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open. She ended the year at WTA NO 23.
Maria Sakkari had solid results in 2020 and debuted in the world’s Top 20. She reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and the US Open. Also reached the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open and semi-finals of WTA 500 J&T Banka Ostrava Open and WTA 500 St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
In 2021, Maria Sakkari had her best season so far. She started the year, reaching the semi-finals of the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open and WTA 500 Grampians Trophy. However, she failed in the Australian Open, losing in the first round. This did not stop her and the Greek tennis babe reached the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Miami Open. At the French Open / Roland Garros and the US Open, Maria Sakkari made a real breakthrough, reaching the semi-finals. She was also the runner-up at the WTA 500 J&T Banka Ostrava Open. This skyrocketed her to the world’s No 6 and took part in the WTA Year_End Championships in Guadalajara, where reached the semi-finals losing to Anett Kontaveit.
Maria Sakkari photos
