Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 7, 2021 Greece’s Maria Sakkari celebrates after winning her fourth round match against Sofia Kenin of the U.S. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 7, 2021 Greece’s Maria Sakkari celebrates after winning her fourth round match against Sofia Kenin of the U.S. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
The Greek sensation, Maria Sakkari, has been voted Greece’s Top Female Athlete of the Year at the Panhellenic Sports Press Association (PSAT) awards. Sakkari had one of her most successful years on the WTA Tour in 2021. The 26-year-old reached the semi-finals of two Grand Slam events, the French Open and the US Open.
Apart from Maria Sakkari, NBA Champion and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was given the title of Greece’s Top Athlete of the Year.
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Maria Sakkari honored with Greece’s top female athlete of the year
There’s no doubt that Sakkari was at the peak of her powers in 2021. She boasted a 38-20 win-loss record in 2021 and also became the first Greek woman to participate in the year-end WTA Finals. Sakkari even reached the semi-finals of the event before losing out to Anett Kontaveit.
The award was announced at the Athens Music Hall in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou. It must have been a proud moment for the World No.6 who also became the first Greek woman to break into the top-10 of the WTA rankings this year.
Her fellow award winner, Giannis Antetokounmpo, had a remarkable year in the NBA as well. He led his Bucks side to their first Championship since 1971 in 2020-2021 and was also voted the finals MVP.
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Sakkari’s 2021 season in a nutshell
Maria Sakkari has truly enjoyed her 2021 run. She cruised into the semi-finals of the French Open and US Open, beating some of the finest players on the WTA circuit.
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 8, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Maria Sakkari of Greece hits a forehand against Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic (not pictured) on day ten of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Subsequently, the Greek registered her career-high ranking of World No. 6 in November 2021. In addition, Sakkari defeated the likes of Karolina Pliskova, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Simona Halep on the Tour this year.
As the 2022 season is drawing closer, we hope Maria Sakkari continues her fine form and can fulfill her undoubted potential with more WTA titles.
