27 year old Maria Sakkari has achieved significant success in her career and is considered one of the top Greek tennis players. With a powerful game and an impressive track record, it’s no wonder that she’s quickly established herself as one of the brightest stars in the world of professional tennis. She’s recently even collaborated with Adidas for the campaign ‘Move For The Planet’, which is committed to empowering atheltes and making a social impact for the betterness of our planet.
Cosmo ME had the chance to sit down and chat with the pro athlete on pressures in the court, her go-to ways to exercise, and what the most memorable moments of her career was.
Scroll down to read our interview with Maria Sakkari below…
Cosmo ME: Congratulations on your recent success in tennis. How do you stay mentally focused and motivated during intense matches?
Maria Sakkari: Being on tour for all these years, you gain experience. The older you get, the easier it gets to maintain focus. Having my own routine also plays a very important part, it helps me hone in that focus and achieve great results. As a top athlete, you have to have your own routines on the court.
Cosmo ME: What are your favourite training routines or exercises that help you maintain peak performance on the court?
Maria Sakkari: Well, I always like to mix it up in the gym by working on every single aspect of my game and on my fitness as well. I do a lot of strength training and a lot of body weight exercises. I also run a lot on the track, not that I necessarily love it, but I know it’s good for me and it’s something that will help me when I step on the court.
The more I run, the more I spend time in the gym. It’s something I always maintain during tournaments to keep that fitness level at the highest so that I can last long in a tough tournament like the upcoming French Open. It’s a two-week tournament and I always play better when I know that I’m fit.
Cosmo ME: Tennis can be a mentally demanding sport. How do you handle pressure and maintain composure in high-stakes situations?
Maria Sakkari: I think that tennis is probably one of the toughest sports mentally and physically. You’re out there by yourself and you don’t even know for how long that’s going to be for. You always have to be prepared. I always like to prepare myself for three-hour matches and then anything shorter than that is welcome.
It always works well when I just prepare myself that I’m going to have a very tough match against any opponent. I’m very patient. I’m mentally there for every single point. I keep fighting for every point until the match is over because I feel like if you want to get out of the court quicker then that mentally affects you, as well as physically.
Cosmo ME: In your opinion, what are the key attributes or skills that young, aspiring tennis players should focus on developing to reach the professional level?
Maria Sakkari: Well, from my experience, spending a good amount of time on the court is good but do not overdo it. It’s very good to have a balance when you’re a kid and have a normal life. Obviously, I had to work hard and I did spend a lot of time on the court after a certain age. But for me, it was very important that I actually had a very normal life in the early stages of my career and that helped.
Cosmo ME: What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences in your tennis career so far, and why do they stand out for you?
Maria Sakkari: Well, I have a few. Obviously, the two semi-finals I’ve played in Grand Slams were big moments for me. These matches were very emotional and I will never forget them in my career. You cannot replace that winning feeling with anything else, especially a big win in a Grand Slam.
I think it’s just something that not a lot of people can relate to. But I’m sure that if you were to ask other tennis players, they would tell you the same thing – that the feeling of a win is very addictive.
Cosmo ME: What are some of your hobbies or activities that you enjoy to relax and unwind?
Maria Sakkari: I usually like to spend time with people that are close to me, my friends, family. Since I spend so much time on my own during the tournaments, I don’t see them that often.
C: Adidas has just announced an exciting initiative to educate and engage communities on sustainability through sport. What are your thoughts on this?
Maria Sakkari: I think it’s amazing. What adidas has done – and continues to do – coming up with these new ideas and new initiatives like Move For The Planet, is encouraging. The impact of the climate crisis is more severe in some places than others, however, one thing that unites us all is our love for sport. Move For The Planet is an opportunity to harness the world’s love of sport to support some of the communities that need it most.
Adidas is encouraging people to turn activity into action as it pledges to donate €1 to Common Goal for every 10 minutes of activity which is a great idea to inspire and educate.
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