Tennis news: Maria Sakkari makes a wish, and Juan Martin del Potro continues to thrill fans

Maria Sakkari was recently asked which player's shot she wished she had. She answered Jannik Sinner's backhand. Sinner's backhand is a thing of beauty, but Sakkari has to be happy with her game and what a difference a year makes. 2024 has been a huge improvement for her; her game and demeanor on the court look very different.

David Witt has joined her team and is serving as her head coach after spending years with Jessica Pegula and Venus Williams. Witt's calm and easy-going demeanor could be what is giving Sakkari more confidence in herself even if she gets behind in matches. Under her former coach Tom Hill, she was berating herself while he was also vocal at times with her when she got behind.

In general, Sakkari cannot have too many complaints while making her wish list of shots to have. During the same interview, she was asked which weakness in her game she would like to pass on to an opponent. Without hesitation, she said the drop shot. While that may be true, Sakkair's game is going in the right direction with a 15-7 record so far this year, a World No. 6 ranking, and a viable opportunity to compete for the title in Roland Garros where she was a 2021 semifinalist.

While Maria Sakkari remarks on her game, the retired Juan Martin del Potro is a superstar

2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro is beloved years after officially retiring from the game. Injuries kept him from traveling the world on a high-caliber retirement tour, but his popularity remains a constant.

del Potro, 35, was posing for a photo with a fan at the Madrid Open when Carlos Alcaraz passed by. Alcaraz stopped what he was doing and walked back to talk with del Potro. One of many reasons to love Alcaraz is that he respects those who came before him in the game, and he looks and sounds like a fan as much as the rest of us.

What is it about the Argentinian tennis players that make us love them years after they left the game? 1990 US Open Champion and fellow Argentinian Gabriela Sabatini, 53, has the same superstar status with tennis fans. Maybe it is their hard-working and humbling nature that makes us want to be friends with them long after their playing days have ended.

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