Maria Sakkari’s victory at the Guadalajara Open, the first major WTA 1000 title of her career, was not just a feat of ability but also evidence of the strength of peer motivation. Sakkari explained how what Coco Gauff said during the US Open touched an important chord with her as she reflected on her triumph. Gauff’s statements illustrated that losses are merely a part of the game and there are bigger obstacles than tennis.
Sakkari shared her thoughts about Gauff’s speech in an interview and said: “I really liked what Coco Gauff said at the US Open, about how other people have bigger problems than we have when we lose a tennis match, and she’s spot on. I kept thinking about that, and that gave me strength.”
Chris Evert praised Sakkari’s outstanding performance with a cheerful tweet. She wrote: “Congratulations @mariasakkari. You showed everyone your strength and talent this week in Guadalajara! Keep the belief.”
Evert congratulated Sakkari and added that her performances throughout the competition showed the strength and passion she had earlier displayed. Thus, Chris Evert’s statements highlight her resilience and strength throughout the tournament, which contributed to her winning the first-ever WTA 1000 title.
congratulations @mariasakkari You showed everyone your strength and talent this week in Guadalajara! Keep the belief…🙏👏💪🏼👍💃 https://t.co/KbXllxGkz3
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) September 24, 2023
Maria Sakkari says she got strength from Coco Gauff’s statement at US Open ‘Playing tennis isn’t real pressure compared to people struggling to feed their families’:
“I really liked what Coco Gauff said at the US Open, about how other people have bigger problems than we have… pic.twitter.com/cgsNglUx07
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 24, 2023
Coco Gauff in 2023
WWLWWLWWWW Now the world no.3 (career-high), Gauff 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.
Currently, during this season Gauff achieved a composed 45-13 win-loss record. Coco conquered 4 titles in 2023 in Auckland, Washington, Cincinnati and U.S. Open.
Maria Sakkari in 2023
LLWWLWWLLL Now the world no.6, the Greek played her last match on the 23rd of September when she beat world no.42 Caroline Dolehide 7-5 6-3 in the final in Guadalajara to win her 2nd career title.
Until now, during this year the Greek has a 34-19 match record. Maria clinched 1 title in Guadalajara. The Greek was the finalist in Washington.
Coco Gauff and Maria Sakkari played each other 6 times. Their head to head is 4-2 for Sakkari. Before, the last time they squared off, Coco Gauff won 6-2 6-3 in the final in Washington (Mubadala Citi DC Open) on the 6th of August 2023.
In the following video you can watch the key moments of their match.
