Maria Sakkari has made her thoughts clear on grass court tennis.
The Greek player was knocking on the door of becoming a top player, especially after she reached the 2021 US Open semifinals.
But Sakkari has struggled to make it to the next level and she has just two WTA titles to her name, none of which have come on grass.
With the grass court season now in the rearview mirror, Maria Sakkari shared what she really thinks about playing on the stick and low-bouncing surface.
Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty ImagesMaria Sakkari explains the ‘scary’ thing about playing on grass
Sakkari made no secret of her love for hard courts, and her last title came on the concrete at the Guadalajara Open in 2023.
Her first title came on the clay in Rabat back in 2019, but Sakkari has yet to attain any success on grass.
Following her victory over Emma Navarro in Washington D.C., Sakkari shares her view on grass court tennis and why she finds it scary.
“You know, just being scared that something’s going to happen to your body, playing on that surface [grass],” the 30-year-old told reporters.
“You know, hard court is my best surface, for sure. I love clay, as well, but I’ll take hard court any day.
“I’m just so excited, because I had a week off. It’s really helped me. I feel recharged and ready to go for, you know, full calendar now hopefully.”
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesMaria Sakkari has mixed emotions about the tennis balls for the US Open
Sakkari secured one of her biggest wins of the season at the Citi Open.
She took on Navarro, who was playing in front of her home crowd in America’s capital city, and the former top 10 player stunned them into silence.
Sakkari claimed a tight first set and the second set followed suit, as it was decided via a tiebreak, which she dominated to claim her third win in four meetings against Navarro.
Though she was happy with the victory, Sakkari commented on the balls being used at the US Open and the tournaments leading up to it, and she is unsure what to make of them.
“They feel weird. They fly sometimes and sometimes they stay on your racquet,” Sakkari added. “I have mixed emotions about the ball. Obviously I’ve been serving well, so I’m not going to lie they have been good for my serve.
“I just learn how to adapt with every ball used at every tournament, because that’s the truth that we play with different balls every week. It is what it is and we have to take it.”