ROLAND GARROS

May 25, 2022

Maria Sakkari

Press Conference

K. MUCHOVA/M. Sakkari

7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Two very close sets. What was your opinion of the match today?

MARIA SAKKARI: I can't really think that. She played an amazing match. She always plays extremely well in Grand Slams and today she was the better player, so I have to give it to her.

I tried a forehand on the last point. It didn't go my way. It's disappointing for sure because it still, it still is my favorite tournament and I'm sad.

But at the same time there were a lot of positives today because I found myself again in the court. I'm feeling good. I'm fighting. I'm enjoying my time on the court so I think that great things are going to happen soon.

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with a couple of questions in English.

Q. Is there anything that you keep from this tournament, anything that you have learned?

MARIA SAKKARI: I think you always learn new things when you play a tournament, especially at that level. As I said previously, I just feel like I'm playing good tennis again. I'm fighting, which I have to say that I had lost that feeling for awhile after Indian Wells. So that's the positive thing that I'll keep from that.

Q. Bad luck today. In the men's draw this tournament there have been a couple of matches so far where top seeds have gone two sets down and still had time to work their way back into it. It felt like today's match, had it been best of five, could have had a lot of good tennis left in it. I just wondered if you had any feelings about women playing best of five one day maybe?

MARIA SAKKARI: Well it would be amazing for me because I feel like my physical part is my strength. But the tournament's never going to end, so we're going to have to stay here for a month or build 15 more courts. So I don't think that's ever going to happen because it's, the calendar has to be shorter, and I don't see it happening.

Q. Men and women best of three week one, best of five week two, sorts out the scheduling. How do you feel about that?

MARIA SAKKARI: I don't think that's going to work either because you cannot start a tournament by playing best of three and then suddenly have to switch to best of five. You're not used to it. Like, you get out of your routines and I think that obviously the guys are like, you know, they're playing long matches, which I don't know how it feels, but it must be very tough. I feel for them. But, yeah, I think we should keep it as it is.

Q. Is there anything you think you could have done differently or any aspect of your game you think or you wish you had done better in particular today?

MARIA SAKKARI: Maybe less unforced errors, maybe make more balls in some moments of the match. But overall, I think it was -- I mean, she came up with some great, like very good shots in the tiebreaks and there was nothing that I could have done and it was just, it was a very good day for her and a worse day for me.

Q. A year ago you did very well here, a great run. Did you come here with that in your mind at all, like, this is a place I know I can do very well?

MARIA SAKKARI: I knew that I wanted to do well, but things are different every year and we have seen so many upsets, and so many upsets all these years, like in tournaments of, in that level like you always have to accept that you cannot go deep every single tournament or every single big tournament.

It's very disappointing because I really wanted to do well again, but I'm sure that I have a few more years left in my career, or a lot. We'll see. So I'm sure that I'll do good again here.

Q. One follow-up sort of on you mentioned surprises and upsets. Is there anything about either the French Open in general as a tournament or clay that you think maybe more than other surfaces can lead to surprising results or upsets on a given day because of the surface or something about the surface?

MARIA SAKKARI: I don't think so. I know there are a lot of upsets at Wimbledon as well. So I'm not really sure that Roland Garros is the one that has the most. Maybe like stats-wise maybe it does have, but I don't know that.

Q. I'm not sure if someone asked you about it after the first match, first round, so what do you think about the WTA decision about Wimbledon and no points?

MARIA SAKKARI: Well, you know, obviously the ranking system is there for a reason and it's unfortunate that we play under these circumstances, but, you know, in life not everything has to, you know, some people favor from this, some people don't, like, it's not fair for everyone. The decision has been made, so I just have nothing to say about it.