Maria Sakkari started the 2023 season with her participation in the Australian Open, where she was the sixth seed. With her aggressive and all-court style of play, the Greek tennis star brushed aside her initial round opponents. However, she failed to overcome Zhu Lin, who was ranked 87 back then, in the third round of the Grand Slam. Sakkari’s shocking defeat has been chronicled in the new season of Netflix’s ‘Break Point,’ and many big truths have recently emerged.

Prior to her matchup against the former world No. 3, the Chinese tennis player had never beaten a top-ten opponent. Notably, the tennis community was stunned after Lin pulled off a major upset against Sakkari, who might be responsible for her own defeat. The latest episode of the Netflix tennis documentary reveals how the 28-year-old disregarded her coach’s sincere advice, which might have cost her the third match of the 2023 Australian Open.

Netflix explores Maria Sakkari’s surprising defeat at the 2023 Australian Open

The first episode of season 2 of ‘Break Point’ shows the Greek tennis star receiving sincere advice from her coach, Tom Hill, before her third-round encounter against Zhu Lin. The British tennis coach was heard saying, “I’d like Johnny to start shooting a little bit cause the girl shoots…okay?”

“What do you mean by ‘shoots’?” Sakkari asked. In his response, Hill advised the Greek to be wary of her Chinese opponent’s ‘forehand’ by saying, “She has a very good forehand.” However, as Lin was an unseeded player, Hill’s counsel infuriated Sakkari, as she asked him to not ‘freak her out.’

She stated, “Tom. Stop it. I’m gonna get angry. Every player, I play they’re great players to be playing here. But you cannot, like, freak me out before the match. I’m playing Serena Willimas.” During her angry rant at her coach, the 28-year-old sarcastically said that she was playing ‘Serena Willimas.’

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Hill replied, “No, can I ask…how would you like me to say it?” Sakkari continued her rant by saying, “No, it’s fine. I’m playing Serena Williams, uh, 2.0.” As she disregarded her coach’s advice, the sixth-seed Greek player later tasted defeat at the hands of Lin in the third round of the Australian Open. With her brilliant forehands, the Chinese player won the game with a score of 7-6, 1-6, 6-4.

What do you think of the Greek tennis star ignoring her coach’s advice before her defeat at the Australian Open? Let us know in the comments section.

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