By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday October 6 2021
The Greek star is ready to push through November as she chases a career goal.
Photo Source: Ostrava
October is not always the easiest month for tennis players. The Grand Slam season is done and dusted and many can’t help but start looking ahead to their holiday, a time when they can stop running their overworked bodies ragged and start to decompress from 10-plus months of tennis and too many frequent flier miles to count.
Don’t count Maria Sakkari among the jaded, not this year anyway. The 26-year-old, in the midst of a breakout season that has seen her become the first Greek woman to reach a major semifinal (a feat achieved at Roland-Garros and the US Open) and crack the Top-10, is hungry for more.
Sakkari takes her place in the main draw at this week’s BNP Paribas Open hoping to lock down her first appearance at the WTA Finals. Currently in fifth in the Race to Guadalajara she is nearly there – but not just yet.
"It would sound crazy and stupid if I said that I'm not motivated because I'm trying to achieve one of the biggest goals of my career, for the first time, which is the WTA Finals, and I'm more motivated than I was in the first week of the year, because, yes, it is the end of the season and I know that other players are tired, and I know that other players don't have that goal,” Sakkari said during her pre-tournament press conference.
The 26-year-old, who will face either Marketa Vondrousova or Viktorija Golubic in the second round after a bye, knows that a few good wins is all it will take to make the dream come true.
"I know that with a couple of good results I'm probably going to make it," she said. "It doesn't add any stress, it doesn't make me feel any pressure but I know that I can, and I see myself [in Guadalajara] so my motivation is pretty high. I'm feeling fresh, I'm keeping my body, and actually making clever decisions with practice and rest and everything in order for me to last until the middle of November."
Sakkari, who finished the 2020 season ranked 22, now comes in at No.9 in the world. They say that going from a Top-20 player to a Top-10 player is one of the most difficult climbs to make, but Sakkari has made it look easy by being a consistent force on both clay and hard courts, and performing well at many different events, including the Slams.
She says that the rise has been a dream come true, and having the opportunity to play at Guadalajara is something she will not take for granted.
"I cannot imagine myself being in that position at the beginning of the year," she said. "It's great to be in that position. I really like the challenge and I really enjoy that I actually have a chance, because, yes, it might sound crazy for someone that has played the finals a couple of times or three or four times, maybe their motivation is not as high as it is for me, because let's be real it's my first time and it's a goal - it's something big for a tennis player, it is one of the best tournaments in the world and it is only eight players that get to play it.
"It's been a very successful year for me, and I know that I can finish the year strong for sure."