Maria Sakkari facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Maria Sakkari

Sakkari at the 2025 Washington Open
Native name	Μαρία Σάκκαρη
Country (sports)	Greece
Born	(1995-07-25) 25 July 1995 (age 30) Athens, Greece
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Turned pro	2015
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Thomas Johansson (2017–2018), Tom Hill (2018–2024, 2025– ), Mark Philippoussis (2023) David Witt (2024)
Prize money	US$ 13,112,553
Singles
Career record	480–320 (60%)
Career titles	2
Highest ranking	No. 3 (21 March 2022)
Current ranking	No. 90 (21 July 2025)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	4R (2020, 2022)
French Open	SF (2021)
Wimbledon	3R (2017, 2019, 2022, 2024)
US Open	SF (2021)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	SF (2021, 2022)
Olympic Games	3R (2021, 2024)
Doubles
Career record	53–51 (50.96%)
Career titles	0 WTA, 5 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 169 (9 September 2019)
Current ranking	No. 531 (16 June 2025)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2019, 2020)
French Open	1R (2019)
Wimbledon	2R (2019)
US Open	2R (2019)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	1R (2024)
Other mixed doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	QF (2021)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	12–18 (40%)
Hopman Cup	RR (2019)

Maria Sakkari (born on July 25, 1995) is a professional tennis player from Greece. She has reached a high ranking of world No. 3 by the WTA. She first achieved this on March 21, 2022. This made her the highest-ranked Greek player, sharing the spot with Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Maria is known for her strong and active style of play. She uses a powerful serve and strong groundstrokes. In 2023, she won her first WTA 1000 title at the Guadalajara Open.

She made it to the semifinals at the Wuhan Open in 2017. There, she beat Caroline Wozniacki for her first win against a top-10 player. In 2021, Maria reached the semifinals at both the French Open and the US Open. This made her the first Greek woman to reach a major semifinal.

Maria Sakkari was named the Greek Female Athlete of the Year in both 2020 and 2021.

Maria Sakkari's Early Life

Maria Sakkari was born in Athens, Greece, on July 25, 1995. Her mother, Angelikí Kanellopoúlou, was also a top tennis player. Her father is Konstantinos Sakkaris. Maria has two siblings, a brother named Yannis and a sister named Amanda. Her grandfather, Dimitris Kanellopoulos, also played professional tennis.

Maria started playing tennis when she was six years old. When she was 18, she moved to Barcelona to train. She likes playing on hard and clay courts. Her favorite shot in tennis is the serve. Growing up, she admired players like Serena Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. Maria currently lives in Monte Carlo. She is dating Konstantinos Mitsotakis, whose father is the prime minister of Greece.

Maria Sakkari also appeared in the tennis TV series Break Point. It started on Netflix in January 2023.

Maria Sakkari's Professional Career

Starting Out: 2015–2016

Sakkari in 2015

Maria Sakkari tried twice to play on the WTA Tour but didn't succeed. Her third try was at the US Open in 2015. She qualified for the main tournament but lost in the first round. After this, she entered the top 200 players for the first time.

In 2016, Maria played in the Australian Open. She qualified and won her first match there. This was her first win on the WTA Tour and at a Grand Slam event. She then lost in the second round. At the Istanbul Cup, she reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal.

Sakkari at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

Maria qualified for Wimbledon in 2016. She won her first match but lost in the second round to Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon champion. After this, her ranking reached No. 97. By the end of 2016, she was ranked No. 89.

Breaking Through: 2017–2018

In 2017, Maria reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time at the Australian Open. She also made it to the third round at Wimbledon and the US Open.

Her biggest success in 2017 was reaching her first WTA Tour semifinal at the Wuhan Open. She beat Caroline Wozniacki there. This success helped her enter the top 50 WTA rankings.

In 2018, Maria reached her first WTA Tour final at the San Jose Classic. She beat Venus Williams on her way to the final. She lost the final match. On August 6, 2018, she reached a new career-high ranking of No. 31. She also entered the top 30 for the first time.

First Title and Top Wins: 2019

Maria started 2019 by reaching the third round at the Australian Open. She then won her first career title at the Morocco Open. She beat Johanna Konta in the final. This win helped her ranking climb to No. 39.

She also reached her second Premier 5 semifinal at the Italian Open. At the French Open, she was seeded for the first time. She reached the third round at Wimbledon.

In the San Jose tournament, she reached another semifinal. She beat top-seeded Elina Svitolina there. At the Cincinnati tournament, she reached a Premier 5 quarterfinal. She finished the year by playing in the WTA Elite Trophy.

Consistent Success: 2020

Maria had a strong start to 2020. She reached her first Grand Slam round of 16 at the Australian Open. She also made it to a Premier semifinal at the St. Petersburg Trophy. There, she beat No. 5 Belinda Bencic.

After the tennis tour restarted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maria continued her good form. At the Cincinnati Open, she reached the quarterfinal. She had one of her biggest wins there, defeating Serena Williams in three sets. At the US Open, she reached the round of 16 for the first time.

Major Semifinals and Top 10: 2021

Maria started 2021 strongly. She reached the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open. She also made it to the semifinals of the Grampians Trophy.

At the Miami Open, she caused a big upset. She defeated Naomi Osaka, who had not lost a match in over a year. This win helped Maria reach the biggest semifinal of her career at that time.

Sakkari at the 2021 French Open

Maria reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open. She beat the defending champion, Iga Świątek, ending her long winning streak. This made Maria the first Greek woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. She then lost in the semifinal match.

In September 2021, Maria reached her second major semifinal at the US Open. She beat Karolína Plíšková to get there. She became the first Greek woman to reach the US Open semifinals. After this, she entered the top 15 in the world rankings.

At the Ostrava Open, Maria reached the final. She defeated top seed Iga Świątek again. This was her first final since 2019. As a result of reaching the final, she entered the top 10 in the WTA rankings for the first time on September 27, 2021. She also qualified for the 2021 WTA Finals, becoming the first Greek woman to play in this year-end tournament. She reached the semifinals there.

More Finals and Top 3 Ranking: 2022

Maria reached the fourth round at the Australian Open in 2022. She also made it to the final of the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy.

At the Indian Wells Open, Maria reached her first WTA 1000 final. She beat the defending champion, Paula Badosa, in the semifinals. With this great result, she reached her career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world. She became the first Greek female player to reach the top 5.

Maria reached her sixth WTA career final at the Emilia-Romagna Open. She also made it to the finals of the Guadalajara Open. This win helped her qualify for the 2022 WTA Finals for the second year in a row. She had a strong performance at the WTA Finals, winning all her group matches. She reached the semifinals for the second straight year.

Guadalajara Champion: 2023

Maria started 2023 by helping the Greek team reach the semifinals of the 2023 United Cup. She reached the third round of the Australian Open. She also made it to the semifinals in Linz, Doha, and Indian Wells.

At Wimbledon, Maria lost in the first round. In August, she reached the final at the Washington tournament.

Maria won her second career title at the Guadalajara Open. This was her first WTA 1000 title. It was also the first time a Greek female tennis player won a WTA 1000 event. This win ended her streak of losing in six previous tour-level finals.

Recent Seasons: 2024–2025

In 2024, Maria played for Team Greece in the United Cup. She won all her singles matches there. At the Australian Open, she won her first match but lost in the second round.

She reached her second final at the WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open. At the Miami Open, she reached the quarterfinals. Maria lost in the first round of the French Open. At the Paris Olympics, she was eliminated in the round of 16. She had to stop her season early due to a shoulder injury after the US Open.

In 2025, Maria reached the quarterfinals at the Linz Open. At the Madrid Open, she made it to the fourth round. She also played in the Italian Open.

Representing Greece

Maria Sakkari first played for the Greece Fed Cup team in 2012. She has a record of 12 wins and 18 losses in Fed Cup matches.

Helping Others: Charity Work

Maria Sakkari is the first ambassador for the charity organization DESMOS. This group helps people in need through various programs. Maria has been involved with DESMOS since 2019. She believes in the importance of giving back and helping the community.

In August 2022, Maria joined the "Tennis Plays for Peace" event. This exhibition match raised money for GlobalGiving, a non-profit organization. Many other famous tennis players also took part in this event.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Performance

Maria Sakkari has played in many Grand Slam tournaments. These are the four biggest tennis events each year.

Singles Results

Doubles Results

Images for kids

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  Sakkari at the 2025 DC Open.

See also

In Spanish: María Sákkari para niños