© Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
Maria Sakkari expressed her deepest gratitude to everyone who reached out with kind words after her US Open breakdown. Sakkari, ranked at No 9 in the world, broke down in tears after suffering a 4-6 4-6 loss to Rebeka Masarova in the US Open first round.
For Sakkari, it was her third consecutive first-round exit in a Grand Slam tournament. Sakkari was visibly crushed after her US Open exit and hinted she might decide to take a break from tennis. But this week – just two weeks after what happened at the US Open – Sakkari is competing at the San Diego Open.
“I didn’t know it was being recorded. I didn’t know it was going to get as big as it got, especially back home. The amount of messages, love, & support from people back home & from a lot of my colleagues was very nice.
I’m very thankful that I have people on the tour that support me like that. That was the main reason why I decided I want to keep going. They gave me a lot of strength. That was one of the nicest things I’ve felt in my career,” Sakkari said, via The Tennis Letter.
Maria Sakkari says the messages & love she received from colleagues & people back home inspired her to keep going after US Open…
