“No one likes you.” That’s what Greek WTA star Maria Sakkari told her first-round opponent Yulia Putintseva on Sunday. The two met on the grass surface at the Bad Homburg Open, where Sakkari eventually ousted her rival in straight sets. But more than the result itself, it was their heated post-match exchange that caught everyone’s attention. Just when people assumed the matter must have died down in 24 hours, Putintseva has come forward now with a sly dig at Sakkari. What’s her message, though?

After Sakkari beat Putintseva 7-5, 7-6 in the first round, she became furious at the net. Reason? She was upset with the way the Kazakh pro avoided eye contact, as she told it. Previously, during the match in the second set, Putintseva challenged a call. But the chair umpire ruled in favor of Sakkari, thus leading to a controversial situation between them. And then the handshake moment occurred where, according to the Greek player, Putintseva seemed disinterested.

Now, a day after the incident, the Russian has come up with a strong response. Issuing a jab at Sakkari, she shared two IG stories on her account. In the first one, she shared Sakkari’s own similar incidents where she didn’t shake hands with Italy’s Martina Trevisan and Britain’s Emma Raducanu during past meetings. “And the plot thickens…” wrote Putintseva. In the next story, she took the matter even further, saying, “By the way – not that I care – I shook her hands as most women do 😅 Clearly not according to the ‘hugging protocol’ some men seem to follow 😶🙂”

The meeting between Sakkari and Putintseva on Sunday marked their fourth face-off. And now, Sakkari leads the H2H tally 3-1 against her. Putintseva came into the grass event owing to poor form in Nottingham. In that tournament, also on grass, she was ousted in the R16 by Rebecca Sramkova. On the other hand, Sakkari will now meet the winner of Ekaterina Alexandrova and Swiss star Belinda Bencic in the second round of the Bad Homburg Open.

But more than the on-court action, it seems the off-court stuff has become an inevitable aspect of Sakkari’s professional journey. More so during her Bad Homburg Open appearances. Seems like the event’s name literally spells bad luck for her. Remember the incident from last season’s edition?

When Maria Sakkari got booed at the Bad Homburg Open

For the uninitiated, Maria Sakkari found herself in trouble during the 2024 Bad Homburg Open. In the opening round, she faced local favorite, Germany’s Jule Niemeier. Initially, the Greek pro seemed comfortable while snatching the first set easily. However, Niemeier fought back and won the second set to level the fight.

Then in the final set, Niemeier was leading 2-1 when Sakkari looked ready to level the match again. The score read 40-15 in the fourth game in her favor. But then, the German challenged a line call that went in Sakkari’s favor. Upon review, however, the ball was called in and the point eventually went to Niemeier.

However, Sakkari wasn’t pleased with this decision. She went to the chair umpire while arguing that she had brushed the ball aside. And that it wasn’t a proper return at all. But the umpire didn’t change his stance, mentioning that he saw the ball slice over Niemeier’s court and counted it as a valid point.

Seeing this, the former World No.3 accused the umpire of favoring German players across the event. But this behavior led to an instant booing from the home fans, who were clearly upset over Sakkari’s remarks. As for the match, Neimeier eventually won it and advanced ahead.

For Maria Sakkari, the situation seems to be tough at the moment. Previously, it was the German pro and now the incident involving Yulia Putintseva. Seems like she can’t catch a breath anytime soon. Do you think her second-round encounter at the Bad Homburg Open this week will be devoid of any controversial moment? Let us know in the comments below.