ROLAND GARROS

June 5, 2021

Maria Sakkari

Press Conference

M. SAKKARI/E. Mertens

7-5, 6-7, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It was a big celebration at the end of that. I'm curious as to why.

MARIA SAKKARI: Well, you know, it's tough when you lose a second set that way and then you manage to just, you know, get everything back on the right way and just, you know, find a way to win.

I'm also very happy to be in the second week of the French for the first time.

Q. On that note, can you just talk through the match? It was a matchup that I think a lot of people kind of circled as being a very important one with respect to just how evenly matched you are and with how your games would link up. Can you tell us what you were thinking in the third set to bounce back from that second set?

MARIA SAKKARI: Yeah, I think it was one of my best matches I have played in a long time. This year, as well.

Elise played extremely well, I think. She never gave up. I think I just played probably the right way when I had to. I gave myself a better chance today. I just took the chances, especially on the third set.

You know, going double break up was very, how can I say it, stress-relief. It was just, you know, overall was a very high quality match I think from both sides.

Q. What are your thoughts on your next match against Sonya Kenin?

MARIA SAKKARI: I mean, Sonya played final here last year, so she's playing good here, for sure.

You know, you don't get easy opponents in these rounds of a slam. You might play a lower-ranked player, but for some reason they have won three matches and you have to respect everyone.

In my case, I respect everyone. Of course I respect a lot Sonya. So I think it's going to be very tough match for both.

We had very tough matches in the past, so it's gonna be a challenge and a battle, for sure.

Q. We speak a lot about Stefanos, but you're doing very well too. What is the feeling for Greek people to have two great players perform in Roland Garros?

MARIA SAKKARI: Well, I think I have said it before a lot of times, that for Greek people I think it's very nice to have, you know, a female and a male player competing in that level, and especially giving them a lot of joy. I think they are proud of us.

Stefanos inspires me a lot. He inspired me in a lot of things he has done in slams, and not only. It's very, very good and very important for me to just, you know, to be kind of like by his side in that, you know, journey.

Q. Off of the Miami run that you had, surely you were going into the clay season with a full head of steam, feeling confident you had found your game and a few tough, tight three-set losses in the lead-up to Roland Garros. Going into this slam I know you want to do well on this surface, what was the mentality a week ago before the tournament was about to begin? Based on that, how pleased are you with how you have managed to get yourself into the second week for the first time?

MARIA SAKKARI: That's a very good point, actually, because after Miami I think, not that I wanted to, but I had high expectations.

It's normal. You know, you play good and then you expect yourself to keep on playing good. Of course I had a tough loss against Petra in Stuttgart and tough loss against Karolina in Madrid. And then a very strange and tough loss against Gauff.

You know, after Rome I was very sick of tennis for a few days (smiling). I just took a few days off, and I just felt like -- I just felt like the love of the game again.

Tom gave me as much time as I needed. He said just take your time and call me whenever you want to go back on court and play again. That didn't last long, to be honest (smiling). Just after a few days, you know, we were back on court training.

Q. What was going through your mind when you felt like you were kind of needing a bit of a break? Then what was it, 48 hours later, however long it was, when you're like, No, I'm ready to get back? Talk through that journey a little bit more.

MARIA SAKKARI: So, you know, it's just a feeling that I think everyone gets when they don't play the way they want and when they are not enjoying themselves inside the court.

But I'm very lucky that I have people around me that they actually understand that, and they actually take a step back and give me some space and give me time off, time with, you know, with my people and my, you know, my family.

I just took five days off. Went to an island. Just chilled there. Did nothing. Then I just messaged Tom out of nowhere and I'm like, Tom, I'm ready to go back on court. I'm pretty positive that I'm going to do well from now on.

He was, like -- he actually said, I'm excited that my player is coming back from retirement (smiling). Of course he was joking.

So then everything was a lot easier when he came to Greece and we started practicing again.

Q. Just talking about the island, et cetera, which island did you go to? Also, do you think when you look at the situation where you took a few days off, do you think this is something that you might start to put into your schedule for the future?

MARIA SAKKARI: Yeah, for sure. First of all, I went to Spetses, very nice island not far from Athens. Had a great time. As I said, didn't do much, because it was the first days after the lockdown.

But to be honest, I take time off, especially now with Tom. As I mentioned before, he really understands and he really -- he also sometimes pushes me and tells me that I need time off. It's very, very nice to have a coach that doesn't do the opposite, because sometimes I can be very tough and tell him, No, we need to practice more, maybe we need to do more hours. So he's kind of relaxed.

But for sure, you know, I'm going to program everything the right way, and give myself, you know, always time off and always time to disconnect.