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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 loss:
“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, &… pic.twitter.com/T7WR4cXRtR — The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 12, 2023
Sakkari was crushed after her US Open exit
Prior to her US Open first-round match, Sakkari said she was just focused on her opening match and finally winning a Grand Slam match.
Against Masarova, Sakkari started with a 4-1 lead and everything looked fine. But then, Sakkari seemingly suffered a mental block that has been hampering her at the Grand Slam level for some time now. “I was very nervous, I don’t know what I’m going to do, I really don’t know, it’s always the same.
Maybe I should take a break, I’m suffering on the court. I can’t make a decision now, it’s hard. I don’t have a clear mind,” Sakkari told SDNA after her US Open exit.
