AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 23, 2022

Maria Sakkari

Press Conference

J. PEGULA/M. Sakkari

7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Tell us what was the difference out there today.

MARIA SAKKARI: Yeah, I think it was actually a disappointing performance today. The conditions were very fast. Jess was playing, like, extremely fast. I didn't have any answers. I really tried my best, but my game was not even close to, like, 60, 70%. It was just disappointing. And it still is.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've been playing such great tennis, seeming confident. Is this a bit of a shock today?

MARIA SAKKARI: Not really. I mean, I knew that Jess is a very good player. I never thought before playing that match that I'm going to win that match for sure.

I know that I'm not going to win every tournament that I play from now on just because I'm top 10. I try to not get too disappointed. The first 24 hours will be a little tough for me, but then I'll just focus on my next tournament, which is St. Petersburg. I'll take it from there.

I think that I'll have chances this year. I'm still going to be confident on myself.

Q. Were the conditions a factor at all today?

MARIA SAKKARI: It was very hot. Yeah, there were moments in the match where I felt the heat. I was actually surprised because I'm very, like - how can I say - good playing in the heat. I'm used to it.

I think it was the stress and everything that actually made things a little bit tougher.

Q. Do you tend to take defeats well? How do you usually deal with a defeat in a slam?

MARIA SAKKARI: I mean, it's tough. For me it takes 24 hours until I'm over it. I just need my time. I need to speak with my team because otherwise I'm a person that I need to express my feelings and express how I feel. I'll need to do that in order for myself to feel better.

I'm just disappointed now, but I know that great things are going to come. If I keep doing what I'm doing, what I did last season, this tournament, I know things will eventually get better.

Q. You mentioned the speed of the court. Did that surprise you? Quicker than previous matches?

MARIA SAKKARI: I found it quicker, to be honest. I don't know if it was quicker. It was very dirty. There were strings on the back of the court. There were flies from last night. I think the dirt always makes the court quicker. I was actually surprised. Maybe they tried to clean it but they didn't have the time.

Of course, the heat makes it a lot quicker than my previous match on Margaret, which was night. Yeah, I think these were the reasons why.

Q. On the speed of the court, we saw the bigger hitters kind of coming through. Can you contrast what difference it makes to play in the evening or when the conditions are cooler? What do you think you could have done to break Jessie out of her rhythm?

MARIA SAKKARI: Well, I think if you were watching the match, you could clearly see that Jess was feeling a lot more comfortable than me. I believe she likes quick courts. I like to have a little bit more time, even though I did well at the US Open where the court was very, very fast.

It's a different tournament when you play day or when you play night. It was extremely fast. Like I was so surprised. I know that Margaret played slow, but today I was warming up there and I was feeling the speed, but then it got hotter and it was twice the speed I was used to.

It was a little bit of not playing well, a little bit of bad luck. I'm just going to try not to be too disappointed on myself and keep building.

Q. What do you have coming up next?

MARIA SAKKARI: I plan to play for sure St. Petersburg, Dubai, Doha, Indian Wells, Miami. Yeah, that's pretty much what I have in plan. Always depends how you do in tournaments, how your body feels. That's what we have in mind.