Maria Sakkari sends message to Stefanos Tsitsipas

Maria Sakkari, 28, is very eager to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. She is no stranger to Olympic competition. Sakkari welcomes the unique challenge this year's Olympics pose on the clay courts of Roland Garros in July after the clay court season is over and the tennis tours have moved on to the summer grass and hardcourt seasons.

Sakkari recently spoke about her aspirations to play singles, doubles, and potentially mixed doubles in Paris. She and Stefanos Tsitsipas were mixed doubles quarterfinalists in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but as Sakkari indicated, Tsitsipas, 25, has not committed to playing mixed doubles this summer.

He is planning to play singles and doubles with his brother Petros Tsitsipas and according to Sakkari, he will make a decision about mixed doubles closer to the time of the Olympic Games.

Sakkari and Tsitsipas are the faces of Greek tennis

It would be disappointing for Greeks and tennis fans alike if the two most famous Greek tennis players in history are not on the court together in Paris. They have shared the court several times at the United Cup, Eisenhower Cup, and at the Olympics.

They also have a camaraderie and playing styles that complement each other. Teams with chemistry and prior experience seem to fare better in mixed doubles on the Olympic stage (when there is minimal time for practice), and no doubt, Sakkari believes they have a "golden" opportunity should Tsistipas choose to play with her.

Her actions spoke louder than words when talking about this. She will be genuinely disappointed if he elects not to play. Her answers at this press conference will certainly get back to Tsitsipas so he can expect to answer the same question soon and could be pressured to relent because of how popular the two are in Greece.

In the meantime, Sakkari is having a positive start to the 2024 season which is attributed to an overall feeling of calmness, confidence, and joy for the game. This could be attributed to her new coach, David Witt, who has been a great addition to her team. For the majority of 2023, Sakkari did not appear to possess any of those qualities on the tennis court. She is a former French Open and US Open semifinalist (both in 2021) that fans would like to see win a Grand Slam.

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