"I don't care anymore, people are so dumb" - Maria Sakkari hits back at criticism over semifinals choking after reaching Citi Open final
Maria Sakkari has dismissed the criticism surrounding her poor semifinals record after advancing to her first final of the season at the 2023 Citi Open.
On Saturday, August 5, Sakkari defeated top seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in just over two hours and inched closer to claiming her second WTA title. With her win, the World No. 9 advanced to her first tour-level final since her loss to Pegula in the title clash of the Guadalajara Open in October last year.
Moreover, the Greek overcome her semifinal obstacle, reaching the final for the first time this season, after falling short in her five previous appearances in the last four in 2023.
During her post-match press conference at the Citi Open, Sakkari brushed aside all the talk surrounding her struggles in the semifinals, stating that she no longer pays any attention to the criticism.
"It wasn't really on my mind, because I really tried to block that semifinal thing that has been going on and on for so long and in every different platform. I just don't really care anymore. They have made YouTube videos of my losing semifinals. I'm, like, Whatever. People are just so dumb," Maria Sakkari said.
Sakkari asserted that other players would be clamoring for her semifinals record, given that she consistently reaches the final four, instead of losing in the earlier rounds.
"You know, I'm telling you, I think if you were to ask a lot of players on the tour if they would take my semifinal record, they would say yes, because I'm not losing first round. I'm losing in semifinal. So at the same time, it's nothing bad about it," she said.
She also expressed her satisfaction with overcoming the semifinal hump and emphasized her desire to go further and win the title as well.
"But obviously I had it in my mind that I want to overcome that for this year, and, you know, it's something that I'm happy about that it happened this week. But I'm not done yet. That's how I feel," she added.
"I played four finals last year, so I don't know why everyone so crazy about me losing in the semifinals" - Maria Sakkari
Additionally, Maria Sakkari contended that she had competed in four title clashes during the 2022 season, expressing confusion over why her semifinals record was placed under so much scrutiny.
"Yeah, well, I played four finals last year, so I don't know why everyone is, like, so, you know, crazy about me losing in the semifinals. I think that I have been doing pretty well. I have been top 10 for two years, but I guess that everyone has something to say," she said.
The World No. 9 will be up against Coco Gauff in the title clash on Sunday, August 6. Gauff defeated defending champion Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the final of the 2023 Citi Open.
Maria Sakkari enjoys a dominant 4-1 head-to-head record over the American. The Greek won their most recent encounter at the 2022 Italian Open in straight sets.