Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff & tennis world send love to Maria Sakkari after the Greek hits "rock bottom" amid early US Open exit
Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff and Ajla Tomljanovic, among others, have lent their support to Maria Sakkari after the Greek lost in the first round of the 2023 US Open. This is Sakkari's third successive first-round loss at a Grand Slam.
The two-time Grand Slam semifinalist last won a Major match at the 2023 Australian Open, where she ultimately lost in the third round. Since then, Sakkari has competed at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open but failed to win a single match.
Hopeful of putting an end to her Grand Slam losing streak, Maria Sakkari locked horns with Rebeka Masarova in the opening round of the US Open on Monday. However, she failed to get out of her rut as the Spaniard won in straight sets to advance to the next round.
Following her loss, the former World No. 3 penned a message for her fans on social media. Sakkari reflected on her poor form and suggested she had hit "rock bottom," before thanking her fans and well-wishers for their support.
"I really have no words to describe the love and support I’ve received the last 48h. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to realise simple things in life. I just want to say thank you to each one of you for inspiring me to keep going and get back to enjoying myself. Don’t forget to love yourself," she posted on Instgram.
The likes of Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur and others reacted to Sakkari's post and expressed their support for the Greek tennis pro. Monica Puig, a former Olympic gold medalist, also reacted to Sakkari's post.
Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic posted a heartfelt comment to show support for Maria Sakkari.
"Love you friend," Tomljanovic wrote.
Sakkari's compatriot Valentini Grammatikopoulou also joined the long list of her well-wishers.
Maria Sakkari also received support from several other tennis players, such as Alexa Guarachi Bruner, Despina Papamichail, and Tímea Babos.
US Open 2023: Coco Gauff to take on Elise Mertens in 3R
Coco Gauff has advanced to the third round of the US Open, where she will lock horns with 32nd seed Elise Mertens. Gauff beat Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in straight sets in the second round.
Mertens, meanwhile, beat Danielle Collins in the second round of the tournament in New York.
Gauff and Mertens have faced each other twice on tour previously. The American leads the head-to-head 2-0.
They last met in the 2022 French Open, where Gauff bageled the Belgian.
The winner of this matc will take on either Caroline Wozniacki or Jennifer Brady in the fourth round.