It was easy for Maria Sakkari to be inspired, as her mother Angeliki Kanellopoulou, was a member of the Top 50 in 1987. It is however with her grand-father that the Greek learned to play tennis. She then went up the ranks alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas. Funny enough, the two childhood friends, won, on the same week, the Estoril title in 2019 for Tsitsipas and Rabat for Sakkari. The very first title for Sakk Attack ! She is the first female Greek player to have reached at least 3rd rounds in all Slams. But since, she has done better. In 2021, she reached the final four at Roland-Garros, beating the title holder, Iga Swiatek, along the way. Being part of the last four players still standing in a Slam is something she then reproduced in New York a few months later. She now needs to get passed this stage in order to reach the graal.