GUADALAJARA OPEN

September 22, 2023

Maria Sakkari

Press Conference

M. SAKKARI/C. Garcia

6-3, 6-0

Q. At the end of the match you were almost in tears saying how much you appreciated the support you received here in Mexico. How important is it for you to have such a crowd cheering for you at every match?

MARIA SAKKARI: I feel like I keep saying the same thing every day, but it's just very helpful. It's just something that I really appreciate. I really am very grateful that I come here every year and the support is more every year I come. I just really enjoy my time here. It's very special.

Q. Are you planning on getting more jerseys?

MARIA SAKKARI: I have three already, but...

Q. You can always have more.

MARIA SAKKARI: I'll need extra suitcase for more jerseys (smiling).

Q. I was speaking with some fans and there are more girls here in the venue. They say that you are like an example for them. That you are, that they like how you are in and out of the court. What do the Mexican girls mean to you and can you give them a message, please?

MARIA SAKKARI: You know, it's what I said before, that I'm just very grateful. I'm very happy that I can inspire them inside and outside of the court. I just come here and I'm just being myself, and if that's what they appreciate and what they admire, that makes me even happier.

I'm not pretending to be anyone else. I'm just being myself. I feel like I always, you know, do well here. I always love to spend time with the Mexican crowd. I just really enjoy my time here.

Q. I know Giannis is a good friend of yours and he has said about you, She's pure fire. Where does that fire come from, and how much are you excited that this time you are the clear favorite so you can win that second title in your career?

MARIA SAKKARI: Those are two different, very different points. Like you started by Giannis and then you get to the final. Like, first of all, you know, having an athlete, a person like Giannis saying all those nice things about me, you know, it gives me a lot of confidence. I'm very grateful. I'm very thankful for his support and his belief.

On a separate note, like for tomorrow's final, yeah, might be ranking-wise the favorite, but she's in the final for a reason. She has been playing very good tennis. She has been beating very good players. It's a final like any other, you know, it's going to be amazing if I win, it's going to be sad if I lose. I'm going to try and do the same as today, have a smile on my face and enjoy my day tomorrow.

Q. You and your rival have a very different path to the final. You were the second seed in the tournament. She has one more game than you do. Do you think you have any advantage against her? Besides the crowd, obviously.

MARIA SAKKARI: I wouldn't say so. I don't know. It's a final that we're both going to try our best. There's no favorite or not favorite. Obviously it's who is going to have a better day.

I cannot, I'm not going to say that, you know, I have any advantages or not. I'm just going to go out there and do what I know how to do best.

Q. What do you think about the shirt from the Mexican team?

MARIA SAKKARI: I like it. I really, really like it. I love it (smiling).

Q. How do you prepare before a match as a final with a player that you never played before like Caroline Dolehide?

MARIA SAKKARI: I will prepare the final like any other match, like any other match this week. For example, yesterday I played Arango and I never played her in my life. I'm just going to focus on myself, do what I have to do. Doesn't matter what the opponent does. Everyone's playing good. She's playing very good this week.

In tennis luck is not, you know, it can happen once but it's not like something consistent. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to tomorrow. It's going to be fun.

Q. How is your relationship between Mexican soccer and tennis?

MARIA SAKKARI: I need to do my homework a little bit more. I don't know many of the players, but I'm just supporting them.

Q. Tomorrow do you enter the court with a shirt of the Mexican team?

MARIA SAKKARI: I haven't thought about it. I think we'll see. I'll think about it today. Maybe I'll just stick to my routines and walk on the court like every day. If things go well, maybe wear it afterwards.

Q. Congratulations on such a solid match. My question for you is, if you could live in Mexico, which part or city would you choose and why?

MARIA SAKKARI: Well, I haven't been to many places. I've only been here, Monterrey and Merida. But out of the three I would take Guadalajara, of course (laughing).

Q. Obviously it has to be a goal for you to go to the WTA Finals. How happy are you that these are going to be in Mexico besides Saudi Arabia, you know? A lot of women have talk about, like Billie Jean King, that they doesn't like that.

MARIA SAKKARI: You know, Finals for me is not even something that I think about. Coming in here I was 16 in the race, and there's so many players ahead of me that have been playing very good.

I'm sorry, but I cannot involve myself in this conversation because that's not my goal this week. My goal is to have fun, to play my match tomorrow, to enjoy. If I make the finals in Cancun, that would be amazing, because I heard it's a beautiful place. Thank you.