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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday January 6, 2020

 
Maria Sakkari

After her first win of 2021, Maria Sakkari opens up about her goals and her game.

Photo Source: Mark Peterson/ Corleve

Maria Sakkari enters the 2021 with a combination of high hopes and tempered expectations. The Greek, currently 22 in the WTA rankings and considered a future Top 10 player and perhaps even a Grand Slam champion, knows that 2021 is going to be a challenging year with the coronavirus running rampant over the globe, and she’s planning to do what she can to continue progressing up the rankings, while at the same time remaining patient.

Tennis Express

“We are grateful to be playing, so I cannot complain about the bubble, that's the last thing,” Sakkari told reporters after notching a season-opening 6-4 6-2 win over Russia’s Anastasia Potapova at Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. “If you tell me that 'You know what? Stay tough this year but then 2022 is going to be a normal year, I'll take it any time. We just have to be patient, it's not a nice situation, but it's the best we can have now."

Steady Progress Is the Goal

Sakkari, who posted a 20-11 record in 2020 that saw here reach the second week at two of the three Slams she played, says she is not fixating on a ranking target in 2021. She just wants to stay healthy, and keep improving as she makes her way through the season.

"I always like to set goals, and I always set high goals for myself," she said. "Of course, I don't just want to name a number. Of course I want to be Top 10 but if I cannot make it this year I'm sure I'm going to make it next year. I just want to be healthy and get to play as many tournaments as we can."

Serving up a storm

Sakkari, who will face either Coco Gauff or Ulrikke Eikeri in the second round, says she is most pleased with her serving at the moment. The 25-year-old says she has made strides over the last nine months and hopes that she can continue to make headway when it comes to holding serve.

With the courts playing extremely fast at Abu Dhabi this week Sakkari, who says she was in survival mode on Tuesday when dealing with the pace, will need her serve to click. So far so good. She saved all four break points she faced and won 27 of 30 first serve points against Potapova.

"I worked a lot on my serve the last nine months, since the first lockdown," Sakkari said. "It's going really well I have to say, I'm super pleased with the way I'm serving. I'm getting good results inside the court from my serve, good points and cheap points. I think, as I mentioned because the surface is quick, it's super important to serve well."


 

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