Maria Sakkari reveals shocking depth of her trauma and admits she was close to quitting tennis
The new series of Break Point is set to air on Netflix on Wednesday and among its more compelling episodes features Greek star Maria Sakkari as she lived through a challenging 2023.
Former world No 3 Sakkari broke down in tears in her press conference after an early exit at last year’s US Open, as it became clear that she was struggling to cope with the pressures of playing at the highest level of the game.
The raw footage begins with Sakkari talking to her Anett Kontaveit as the pair practice at Wimbledon last summer.
They speak about Kontaveit’s decision to quit tennis and then the footage cuts to Sakkari talking about her own anxiety as she also pondered whether her life would be better away from tennis.
“Tennis is a brutal sport,” began Sakkari.
“Last year, everything was going great. Getting to No 3 (in the rankings), but then there was a decline. I lost my mind a little bit.
“It came so fast. Just the idea of being that close to being world No 1. I was not ready for it.
“Then I just started getting all of these panic attacks and there were just matches that I couldn’t breathe.
“I thought I was going to faint and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. I was in a dark place for six months.
“I was just mentally and emotionally empty. I was scared stepping on the court.
“I have all these people saying that when I get to the later stages of a tournament, I’m guaranteed to lose. That gets in your head. Because of this, I’ve had many tough moments.”
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The 28-year-old, who is currently sitting at No 8 in the WTA rankings, went on to confirm she considered quitting tennis at her lowest moments.
“I see myself and I don’t like what I see,” she continued. “Sometimes I feel like I want to end my career, but I don’t feel like I have achieved everything that I wanted to.
“I am not ready to finish my career because if I chose to do something else, I wouldn’t feel the same way. But if I keep losing… maybe it’s just not working.
“For me it was disappointing. There were times when I could not deliver that fighting spirit. It has been killing me inside.
“I don’t want to play tennis forever. Maybe I should just quit.”
The footage then cuts to Sakkari talking to her coaching team after a painful loss against Marta Kostyuk at Wimbledon, as she lost her way in a match that saw her win the first set 6-0.
“You are looking for excuses,” a tearful Sakkari argued with her team. “You are not seeing the reality that I can’t play. I feel like I can’t get it back. I’ve lost my way here… that’s how I feel.”
Later in the episode, Sakkari revealed how she overcame her first round loss at Wimbledon and tried to rebuild her confidence.
“I just gave time to myself and went back to basics,” she added.
“I started working with my psychologist. She really, really helped me not to focus on negative things.
“I know that I don’t deserve social media and hate messages, so I’m not going to waste my time and energy thinking about it. Spending time with my family is much more important for me.
“I cannot be afraid of failure right now. I know whatever your age you can improve and we always have opportunities to get better. We are not done yet.”
The episode concludes with Sakkari bouncing back in style as she wins the WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara in September and she ended with what she describes as a less than ladylike repost for her detractors on social media.
It has a compelling watch and allows viewers to go behind the scenes with a player who clearly lived through a trauma on the WTA Tour last year.
The second season of Break Point is available on Netflix from January 10.
