US Open star breaks down in tears as ‘suffering’ world No 8 hints at hiatus

Maria Sakkari broke down during her post-match press conference after suffering a first-round defeat at the US Open. The world No 8 has now lost her opening match at the last three Grand Slams and said she might have to take a break from tennis.

Sakkari lost her fourth match in a row at Grand Slam level on Monday. The 28-year-old lasted for just 87 minutes on court as Rebeka Masarova defeated her 6-4 6-4. She also lost in the first round of Wimbledon and the French Open and crashed out to unseeded Zhu Lin in the third round of the Australian Open.

The Greek star will end the season with a 2-4 record at the Majors. And after the match, Sakkari broke down in tears as she admitted that her other first-round losses had been weighing on her mind.

“Definitely the two previous defeats played a role, I was very nervous, I don’t know what I’m going to do, I really don’t know, it’s always the same,” the world No 8 said through tears. Sakkari also admitted to “suffering” during the matches as she hinted at a hiatus from tennis.

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The 28-year-old continued: “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.” And Sakkari couldn’t pinpoint what it was about her game that was failing her as she talked through her defeat to Masarova.

“I was nervous, but I started well. It’s not that I was tight, I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she explained. “I was up 4-1, I wasn’t playing great, but I did what I had to do. I continued to have anxiety, but it’s not like I lost my mind. I can not explain it. It’s very unpleasant for me.”

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And Sakkari said that her embarrassment led her to ask her team to leave during the match. She added: “I was ashamed to be seen like that. I was embarrassed, it was also my sister’s birthday. I felt bad, I feel like I’m embarrassing them. They didn’t do anything to me, they were perfect.”

It remains to be seen whether the Greek star takes some time away from the sport but she is currently expected to be at the WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara that begins on September 17. Sakkari has a 28-18 record for the season and reached two semi-finals at WTA 1000 level this year – Indian Wells and Madrid.

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