Maria Sakkari’s US Open Woes Continue With 1st Round Retirement

Greek tennis player Maria Sakkari was the first highly-ranked player to exit the 2024 US Open on Day 1. Seeded ninth in the tournament, the 29-year-old was forced to retire during her match with Wang Yafan. She left the court in tears after dropping the first set 2-6 and retiring from the match. Sakkari has been plagued with a shoulder issue that kept her out of the Cincinnati Open two weeks ago. In recent years, Sakkari has had a rough road at all the Grand Slams, especially the US Open.

Maria Sakkari’s US Open Resume

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It is almost impossible to believe that Maria Sakkari was once a US Open semifinalist in 2021. Since then, she has not advanced past the second round. Sakkari’s struggles are perplexing. She has the game and fitness but cannot put it together in big moments at the Grand Slams.

Her US Open results are consistent with her performance at the other Grand Slams. Aside from a semifinal appearance at the 2021 French Open, she has only reached the fourth round at one Grand Slam, the 2022 Australian Open.

Sakkari Down With Injury

This year is a health issue.  In other years, it has been a confidence problem. Sakkari is a talented player who loses her nerves or form in the Grand Slams. She achieved her highest career ranking of third in the world in March 2022. Unfortunately, she cannot produce the results on the big stage she has the physical talent to win a Grand Slam. It is not for a lack of effort. Sakkari works and trains hard. She has also expressed his disappointment in her past performance in tearful press conferences that make fans extra sad for her.

Changing Coaches Has Not Helped Sakkari

Players struggling with their game tend to make changes to their team. Maria Sakkari has done that multiple times this year. She ended her long-time partnership with Tom Hill at the beginning of 2024. Hill worked with her for six years, helping her to rise into the Top 10.

At that point, she began working with Jessica Pegula’s former coach, David Witt. That partnership lasted four months. Witt was on her team when she advanced to the finals at Indian Wells in March. Witt has since moved on to work with Frances Tiafoe.

Paris Olympics Were Not Kind To Sakkari

Maria Sakkari had high hopes for the Paris Olympics in singles and mixed doubles. She lost in the first round to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk. In mixed doubles, she teamed up with Stefanos Tsitsipas.  The pair lost in straight sets in the Round of 16 to the Netherlands duo of Wesley Koolhof and Demi Schuurs.

Sakkari expected more of her Olympic performance. With Tsitsipas in Tokyo 2021, they advanced to the mixed doubles quarterfinals. She believed they had a good chance in Paris. Unfortunately, it did not work out that way.

Sakkari’s Way Forward

Sakkari participated in the 2023 WTA Finals. She was an alternate that played in place of last year’s French Open finalist Karolina Muchova. In 2024, she is ranked 24th so it is unlikely she will find herself in the running for the WTA Finals reserved for the top eight players in the world.

Sakkari has played well in Guadalajara, winning the tournament in back-to-back years. The Guadalajara Open runs from September 17-23, 2024. Hopefully, she will conclude the season in a winning way in Guadalajara.

Maria Sakkari needs to figure out how to get over the Grand Slam hump in a hurry in 2025. She turns 30 in July 2025 so the clock is ticking for her to make a great Grand Slam run. It is not unprecedented for 30-year-old players to have career renaissances. Danielle Collins has done it in 2023 as a 30-year-old.