OR Maria Sakkari He qualified for Charleson’s second round and prepares for the clash with Zeng on Thursday morning (01:00). The Greek tennis player after her victory spoke to Tennis channel And she referred to her racing situation, but also to her big mistake this year.
“I was quite passive at the start and a little hesitant because I don’t play my best tennis, though I take steps there“, He initially said about the match with Marina Stakusic The 29 -year -old tennis player. “I have been playing better in recent weeks, but I am not even approaching what I want to be. But I have to trust the process and continue the hard work to get back to where I was. They became some very good things after 0-3 and the second set was excellent, so I don’t complain”
But what is this process? “It wasn’t easy. I was injured at the Olympics and made the huge mistake of trying to play at the US Open. Things got worse and I decided not to fight for the rest of the season. It was nice I took a little break, but from tennis is difficult, I have fallen into ranking and I have more difficult draws, but I really believe in myself and I believe that I can get back where I was, it will just take some time. It was the first injury in my career and this is not a bad thing in my 29 years! I was healthy throughout my career, so it was a new experience for me”
He then talked about how the game approaches: “Every match is both spiritual and physical. I know I’m a good athlete and I can stay out there as needed, I have to work the point and play a lot of hits to tire the opponent, especially in the soil that will be key. The more I get into this game plan and this tactic, the better I will play. At the same time, however, I have to be aggressive and not passive as I was in the first three games today. The good thing is that I understood it after the first three games and I managed to turn things around”
And added: “Personally, when I put a lot of pressure on myself and I have a lot of expectations, my body “locks” and I don’t move the same, I’m slow, heavy and I put excessive power. Everyone reacts differentlybut the pressure and expectations will always be there regardless of your ranking. I feel that with the experience I have gained, I can handle it better. Sometimes, of course, I can’t, but I have shown in my career that most of the time I can”
She was then asked what she learned about herself during the break from the Tour: “First of all I am a normal person, I saw my friends more than one hour a week! I felt much more mature, I saw things more clearly inside and outside the court. I had time to think, because when you are on the tour you are in constant tension and stress, you fly from country to country and you have no time to discharge. Sometimes it can be hard for us but I don’t want to complain because we live a wonderful life. I don’t want to sound like a spoiled and greedy, but it was very nice that I had some time off, like a normal person who can spend time with his family and friends and enjoy a little bit of life”
Concluding, he said: “I am happier now after the break, than before. It had three fantastic years ago in terms of ranking, but I never had the time to discharge and realize what I had achieved. In these four or five months I realized that I was doing very well in my career and now I have to try to get back where I was. It never takes time, but it’s okay. As I said, You have to trust the process And if it comes it will be great, if not it is what it is“!
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
