Maria Sakkari has reached as many WTA semi-finals as Iga Swiatek over the last three years and her consistency should be praised after making the last four at the Madrid Open. The world No. 9 may not have lifted a title since 2019, but as fellow Greek and NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo said this week: “There’s no failure in sports.” Sakkari faces Aryna Sabalenka in the semis.
Maria Sakkari appears to have a hurdle to overcome.
Over the last three seasons the world No. 9 has been one of the more consistent performers on the WTA Tour, reaching 20 semi-finals since the start of 2021. The only other player to make 20 WTA semi-finals in that time is world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who has a chance to make her 21st when she faces Petra Martic at the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
The problem for Sakkari has been her conversion rate when reaching the last four.
While Swiatek has scooped up 12 titles over the last three years, including two Grand Slams and six WTA 1000s, Sakkari has not lifted a trophy since 2019.
But if there’s a temptation to say Sakkari has fallen short considering how many semi-finals she has reached, her impressive consistency should also be commended.
Sakkari’s mark of 20 semi-finals since the start of 2021 is clear of world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka (16), world No. 3 Jessica Pegula (11) and world No. 4 Ons Jabeur (14). That she is level with Swiatek in such a statistic says plenty.
And Sakkari has done it on big stages too. Last year she made two WTA 1000 finals in Indian Wells and Guadalajara. This season she reached the last four in Indian Wells. And in 2021 she made the semis of the French Open and US Open.
Those last two results might still sting – losing to Barbora Krejcikova at the 2021 French Open after having a match point and then getting beaten in straight sets by qualifier Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open – but the overall picture over the last three years is still one of success for Sakkari, despite the lack of titles.
A similar point was made by NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this week after his Milwaukee Bucks lost in the first round of the play-offs. He was asked after the defeat whether the season had been a failure because of how it ended.
“There’s no failure in sports. There’s good days, bad days,” was his response.
“Some days you are able to be successful, some days you are not. Some days it is your turn, some days it’s not. That’s what sports is about. You don’t always win.”
Sakkari related to the message from her fellow Greek.
“Maybe it’s a wake-up call for everyone outside of sports to understand what it means when you lose or when you don’t achieve your goals,” she said in Madrid.
“It’s not the end of the world.
“He [Antetokounmpo] always says that tennis is the toughest sport. He has spoken to me about how tough our sport is. Tennis is a sport where we lose every week and you have to go again and erase it and go again from zero.”
If a tournament without a trophy is a failure, then that’s a lot of players failing every week.
And in an era when WTA players have sometimes been criticised for their inconsistency, Sakkari’s semi-final record should be lauded. Would she swap a few less semi-final appearances for a couple of titles? Most likely, but she is reaching the deep end of tournaments at a level matched only by world No. 1 Swiatek. And if she keeps putting herself in that position, she will sure lift a trophy again soon.
Sakkari has a chance to make another WTA 1000 final in Madrid as she faces Sabalenka in the last four.
Sabalenka holds a 5-3 lead in the head-to-head record and won their only meeting this year in Indian Wells. However, they have never faced each other on clay before.
“We all know she’s in top form right now,” Sakkari said about Sabalenka.
“She’s the one that is playing the best tennis right now, better than anyone else. Obviously it’s not hard court, her favourite surface, but she won this tournament [in 2021] and she’s playing very good.
“I believe I can play good on clay court, I believe I can play good here. Let’s see how it goes. I’m very curious to see how different it will play compared to other times we’ve played each other.”
Sabalenka needed three sets to beat Mayar Sherif in the quarter-finals.
