Maria Sakkari affirms with Coco Gauff that the pressure that comes with playing tennis is not as great as the strain that average people experience on a daily basis. Gauff was questioned at the US Open about how she was handling the pressure and expectations that were put on her.
Gauff continued by saying that the true strain and challenge is not knowing how you’re going to get your next meal or pay your bills on time.
Gauff expressed her thoughts during a conversation: “I mean, there are people struggling to feed their families, people who don’t know where their next meal is going to come from, people who have to pay their bills. That’s real pressure, that’s real hardship, that’s real life.”
Sakkari agreed with Gauff on this matter and stated her remarks: “There are a lot worse things than losing a tennis match. Sometimes we’re too focused on losing a match or something going wrong in our tennis career & we don’t look at the outside.”
She further added: “There are people who are homeless, people who are sick, parents are losing their children, and people that lose their siblings. I can name things that are so much worse than losing a tennis match. Coco is actually very right. I couldn’t agree with her more.”
Maria Sakkari on Coco Gauff saying tennis isn’t real pressure compared to people struggling to feed their families:
“There are a lot worse things than losing a tennis match.. sometimes we're too focused on losing a match or something going wrong in our tennis career & we don't… pic.twitter.com/QiHmPMCQH6
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 12, 2023
Maria Sakkari in 2023
LLWWLWWLLL Currently the world no.9, the Greek played her last match on the 14th of September when she capitulated to world no.61 Emma Navarro 6-4 0-6 7-6(4) in the quarter in San Diego (draw).
This season Maria has managed to achieve an overall 29-19 record. Maria Sakkari’s most significant accomplishment of the present year was reaching the final in Washington.
Coco Gauff in 2023
LWWLWWWWWW Ranked no.3 (career-high), the American played her last match on the 9th of September when she beat world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2 in the final of the U.S. Open to win her 6th career title.
Until now, during this year the American has a compiled 45-13 match record. Gauff clinched 4 titles in 2023 in Auckland, Washington, Cincinnati and U.S. Open.
Maria Sakkari and Coco Gauff clashed against each other 6 times. Their current head to head is 4-2 for Sakkari. Previously, the last time they competed against each other, Coco Gauff won 6-2 6-3 in the final in Washington (Mubadala Citi DC Open) on the 6th of August 2023.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Maria Sakkari and Coco Gauff |
| Embed from Getty Images |
