GUADALAJARA OPEN

September 20, 2023

Maria Sakkari

Press Conference

M. SAKKARI/C. Giorgi

6-2, 6-2

Q. How do you feel playing in Mexico, specifically in Guadalajara, a place where people show you a lot of affection?

MARIA SAKKARI: Well, I've said it many times, I'm going to repeat myself. I love playing here. The love of the crowd is just very unique and very special to me. I just really enjoy my time here. There's only positives about this place for me and for my tennis.

Q. How do you think about the keys in the match today?

MARIA SAKKARI: Sorry, the keys?

Q. The keys.

MARIA SAKKARI: You mean tennis-wise?

Q. In your tennis, yes.

MARIA SAKKARI: I had to be very solid, which I was. Camila hits very strong and very powerful. I tried to make a lot of balls and make her work. I feel like day by day my game is getting better. I'm excited to play another match tomorrow here.

Q. First of all, congratulations on your second win on the tournament. After your match, on court you talk about some strategy that you applied in order to beat Camila. So I want to ask you if you like analyzing or thinking about the game of your opponent before the court or do you adjust the way you're going to play on court?

MARIA SAKKARI: Well, I have a specific way of playing. That doesn't change. My game stays the same with every opponent. Of course you make little changes and little adaptations. I don't want to give away my secrets. Some things I want to keep them to myself. What I said on the court and what I said on the previous question is just that I was trying to be solid, and it was successful.

Q. How do you feel about being loved for all the Mexicans and the tapatios that say, Oh, I love Maria, I love Maria?

MARIA SAKKARI: What is tapatios?

Q. It's the people from Guadalajara.

MARIA SAKKARI: Oh, okay, okay. I didn't know. It's very nice. It's something amazing. I feel like, you know, I say the same thing again and again, that I really love playing here, I really love being here. It's just very special for me. The love of the people is just something that makes me want to stay here even longer.

Q. In your next match you're facing Emiliana Arango. You have never played against her. What can you expect?

MARIA SAKKARI: Well, if she's in the quarterfinals, for sure she has been playing good tennis. I don't know her that well. I haven't spoken to my coach about it. That's something that I'm going to start thinking about tomorrow. I just trust myself. I trust my game. My game is getting better day by day. I have experience. I have the mental strength. I just believe in myself that I can overcome the next obstacle.

Q. So you were by yourself on your own in San Diego last week. How does it feel to have somebody in your corner this week?

MARIA SAKKARI: It feels good again to have Tom back. I think that it was very important for me to have that week by myself. I just really discovered some things that I wanted to change on the court, on the practice court. Tom is on board with those.

I just believe that it was very, it was a healthy decision and that it's going to help me a lot in the future.