Quote of the Day: Maria Sakkari sees you watching her matches

ROME, Italy—Maria Sakkari’s post-match mixed zone had barely begun when she turned the tables on an unsuspecting journalist at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia:

MARIA SAKKARI: I saw you yesterday.

Q. You saw me when you were playing?

MARIA SAKKARI: Listen, I have a great memory, and I’m very observant. I saw you sitting there...The things I see in life are scary because I’m very observant.

Sakkari clarified she rarely hears what goes on in the crowd, but she has a knack for remembering faces.

Once that was out of the way, she wasn’t content to cede control of the interview, continuing to tease the press.

“You tell me: what did you think about the match? I’m asking the questions now!”

Sakkari would have been forgiven for being in lower spirits: a former world No. 3, her decision to cut her 2024 season short has led to a steep drop in the WTA rankings, starting the week in qualifying for the second time this year.

In both matches, she rallied from a set down, solving Polish lefty Maja Chwalinska, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the latter to book her place in the main draw.

“If I want to get back to the Top 10, I have to face some challenges, and I have to accept the fact that I’ll have to go through some qualies,” she said. “I was obviously disappointed that the tournament didn’t give me a wild card, but at the same time, I think it was a good thing to play qualies just to help me accept the situation I’m in right now with my ranking.”

It’s going to sound a bit cocky, but a lot of players don’t want to play me in the first round. Now going through qualies, I’m sure the girls don’t want to play me even more, especially on a surface where matches really count. Maria Sakkari

Sakkari, who reunited with longtime coach Tom Hill earlier this spring, took heart from Naomi Osaka’s decision to step down and play a WTA 125K tournament to not only rack up some matches on clay but also rebuild her own ranking.

“I went up to her yesterday and said to her, ‘I respected you before, but now I respect you even more that you’re a four-time Grand Slam champion playing a 125 in Saint-Malo. Respect.”

Read more: Naomi Osaka channels Andre Agassi in ‘Challengers’ trip to Saint-Malo

The hard work yielded a bit of a lucky break once she made it into the main draw: she was a set up when a resurgent Belinda Bencic was forced to retire. The experience has helped Sakkari, who has fended off her share of criticism from fans online, turn a narrative where she felt like the hunted into one where she became the hunter once more.

“It’s going to sound a bit cocky, but a lot of players don’t want to play me in the first round. Not just because I came through qualies but because I’ve played some good matches, I’m feel good with my game. It’s the same as playing Bianca [Andreescu] or Naomi. Both are unseeded.

“I remember when I was Top 5 and played [Karolina] Muchova first round at the French Open. I hated it; it was horrible! Now going through qualies, I’m sure the girls don’t want to play me even more, especially on a surface where matches really count.”

Into the second round against No. 32 seed Magda Linette at the Foro Italico, Sakkari will, quite literally, see you there.