AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2023

Maria Sakkari

Press Conference

M. SAKKARI/D. Shnaider

3-6, 7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: A very tough battle out there today. Just talk us through how pleased you are to get through that match.

MARIA SAKKARI: Yeah, it was extremely tough. There were moments in the match where I thought I was gonna lose, but then my belief somehow woke me up. Just, you know, I tried and I found ways to, you know, to come back and to close out this match, because it wasn't easy.

She was playing, you know, with nothing to lose, she was playing very, very good. Yeah, I'm glad I found a way to win.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You said that there were moments in the match you thought you might lose. What were those moments?

MARIA SAKKARI: I would say that in the first set I felt that way, because I could not feel my game. I was very defensive. I haven't been feeling like that in a long time. I mean, you have seen me in most of my matches. You know how my game style is.

Yeah, I wasn't feeling that good, you know, with my attacking, my offensive game. But then I think because I have worked a lot of hours I was able to find a way.

Q. There is these moments in the match where -- and you have talked about this before -- you know, the crucial moments, and it's, like, you're either going to go this way or you're going to pull it back. What is it that you've learned? What is it that you're working on that today helped you not go over the edge and sort of lose your composure, as everyone does occasionally, and you have been very open about it?

MARIA SAKKARI: Of course. I think that it's of course part of the experience I have built all these years. I think that maintaining that high level the last couple of years means that I have been getting out of these situations more than not. I don't know. I just feel like it was naturally a way, you know, that I found a way naturally, and I just was able to turn things around.

I think that it was not a massive effort that I had to do mentally.

Q. So what were the solutions? When did you feel like you started to be able to reel things back? Obviously you got the good start in the second set, but was that a matter of her game kind of coming back to earth a little bit, or did you make adjustments that you saw pay off pretty quickly?

MARIA SAKKARI: I made adjustments. I feel like I started being more aggressive. I started, like, going after my shots a little bit more. You know, just not losing my mind after losing the first set I think was the main thing. Obviously I did a lot of talking, which wasn't very good during the match.

But at the end of the day it was good that I was able to control that and I was able to just, as you said, in the tight moments and in the moments where I had to, I just raised my level by being more, you know, aggressive. I felt like the girl was hitting the ball very, very hard, so like by pushing the ball had no chance.

Q. Was it anything in her play that sort of surprised you?

MARIA SAKKARI: I mean, surprise me. She's a very good player. I knew that from before. But the power she has in her forehand and on her serve was -- I haven't seen that in a while from a young player.

Obviously we know Coco is the same age as her, but, you know, she's a lot taller, a lot more built, and the amount of, you know, the speed and the acceleration she had in those two shots was impressive. And her movement, as well. She was getting back every single ball.

Q. It obviously didn't affect you personally today being on a stadium, but what is the feeling in the player area given all of the sort of scheduling holdups? Do you have sort of sympathy for other players in this holding pattern at the moment because of the weather?

MARIA SAKKARI: I mean, of course they are very unlucky, you know, because the tournament, as well, yesterday because of the heat, then because of the rain, today again because of the rain, it's just, you know, pure bad luck, I would say.

Obviously it's not easy just to, you know, stay here the entire day and it's very tiring and very draining. I have, you know, before I got to that level and having the privilege and the chance to play on the big courts and just under the roof, I have been there a lot of times. It might happen again that I will have to, you know, hang around the entire day because of the weather.

It's not pleasant, for sure, but you cannot control that. You cannot control the weather, unfortunately.

Q. You mentioned you did a lot of talking today. I have to ask you, since I saw the Netflix show the other night which focuses on some of your talking, and there is that moment where you said something about doing something to poor Tom's neck?

MARIA SAKKARI: Neck? No.

Q. I thought it was, like, I'm going to break...

MARIA SAKKARI: The racquet? I'm going to break the racquet.

Q. Break the racquet.

MARIA SAKKARI: Do you think I'm that violent that I would break my coach's neck (laughter)?

Q. Exactly what it sounded like.

MARIA SAKKARI: No, no, the racquet. I'm a nice person, trust me (smiling).

Q. I know. That's why I was so shocked by it.

MARIA SAKKARI: No, I think that it -- it was tough to hear and tough to understand what I said, but for sure I said the racquet. No, I'm not that aggressive with anyone around me.

Q. What was some of the talking you were doing today?

MARIA SAKKARI: Just, I don't remember, like telling myself that -- I knew when she was serving, but then I would have moved on that side, and things like that, tactical things.

Q. Staying with the talking, there was a point I think late in the second where you were unhappy about something going on down at the other end.

MARIA SAKKARI: Yeah.

Q. What was that about?

MARIA SAKKARI: I think that, you know, during a match you can be very pumped or, you know, the way that some players celebrate their points, it's not appropriate. I wasn't happy with that. But, you know, she never did it again. That was very nice of her, so it was, yeah, that was it.

Q. There has been some talk about the Netflix curse from people who participated in season 1. Is it anything that concerned you?

MARIA SAKKARI: Netflix curse? I have never heard that.

Q. Some of the participants have been injured and some others have losed their games.

MARIA SAKKARI: I mean, the only one that I can think of is Matteo, but Matteo lost his match 7-6 on the fifth set. I personally have to say that they only bring us luck, and, yeah, I enjoyed my time with them because they are nice people. Trust me, they are very, very nice.

You know, if you let these thoughts and this energy affect you, then it's when bad luck comes. Yeah, it comes and, like, I don't know, let's say affect you, but I would say that because they are all very nice and they are all very respectful, they have only brought me good luck. Obviously some tournaments I play bad because I play bad. It's not because of them (smiling).

But, yes, overall it has been great.

Q. Looking ahead to next match, it will either be Jil Teichmann, tricky and talented, or Zhu Lin. If it is Jil, what do you make of her game? What do you think the key is moving on from this match to get ready for that one?

MARIA SAKKARI: I haven't played Jil ever in my life, so I know that, you know, she's very, very talented, probably one of the most talented players on the tour. She has those tournaments where, you know, she's unbeatable, but again, I know it will sound a little bit cliché, but I trust my game, I trust my abilities.

I know that I haven't, you know, been playing my best tennis yet, but it's better to keep improving and keep the good part for the later stages of the tournament.

Yeah, I'm just going to enjoy today's win and see who wins and then plan accordingly.