What is Going So Wrong For Maria Sakkari?

Maria Sakkari suffered her third consecutive defeat this week at the Mérida Open Akron in Mexico. Against world #88 Zeynep Sonmez, she failed to win a set and was sent packing at the the first opportunity. Can she escape the current rut, or will 2025 prove to be a season of disappointment?

Maria Sakkari Recent Woes

A Disappointing Start

So far, it’s been a nightmare for Maria Sakkari. Sure, an injury curtailed 2024 season was always going to make life tough at the start of this campaign. Nevertheless, her lack of wins has been worrying.

Moreover, it is the quality of opponent she has been losing to should alarm her.

In Adelaide, Peyton Stearns knocked her out. At the Australian Open, she lost to Camila Osorio, a 23-year-old who has never bettered Round 2 in a Grand Slam, after sixteen attempts. In Dubai, a confidence-shot Emma Raducanu swatted her aside without much fuss. She suffered a bagel set in her straight sets loss to Dayana Yastremska in Austria, then, of course, came this week’s disappointment.

In fairness, sandwiched in between those clashes have been losses to Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek. Yet, none of these ties were remotely competitive.

Four sets lost and just ten games won; there was little there to be positive about.

2024 Indian Wells

While she has been on a downward trajectory since the start of 2024, there have been some positive moments that reveal the talent is still there. The Greek reached the Indian Well’s final last year, beating Diana Shnaider, Caroline Garcia, Emma Navarro and Coco Gauff along the way.

This proved to be a flash of the pan, rather than a turn of fortunes.

At the age of twenty-nine, she should be in her relative peak, this simply isn’t the case.

Tactical Tweaks

It’s not for the want of trying. Last summer she changed coaches to Sergi Bruguera. In that time, there have been tactical changes to her game. In particular, she seems to take the ball a little later, opting for more control in her game.

In the past, her aggressive style faltered in the big moments against the top players, often deserting her. Yet, by taking that away entirely, you are arguably watering down her quality. It’s negative and non strength-based coaching. Not to brandish this method as inherently wrong, but it doesn’t seem to have helped Sakkari much.

It’s a similar situation to Andrey Rublev on the men’s tour–make his style more consistent and less aggressive, then he probably doesn’t pick up titles like Dubai last week.

Conversely, her less aggressive style could be a symptom of low confidence. The point remains though, the partnership doesn’t seem to be flourishing.

Mentality Struggles

Moreover, Sakkari’s mentality has always been a weak point. Even at her peak, when she made the WTA Finals three times on the bounce, she crumbled at the Grand Slams. The 29-year-old reached two semifinals in 2021 but has still to reach a quarterfinal since . In the last eight events, she has lost six times at the first hurdle.

Therefore, it becomes difficult to see her rediscovering her mojo as even in her relative glory days, it always felt on a knife edge. It was somewhat unsustainable.

Tennis can be a funny world though, perhaps she will return to the top. Nonetheless, I fear it will be a step too far for the 2021 French Open semifinalist.