“He deserves to be up there with Jannik and Carlos” : Maria Sakkari backs Stefanos Tsitsipas for a successful 2026 season
Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsistipas are currently competing at the 2026 United Cup in Australia, as they prepare for the first major of the year. Both players earned victories in their respective round-robin stage matches, as Greece took on Japan in their first encounter.
Maria Sakkari defeated Naomi Osaka in straight sets, whereas, Stefanos Tsitsipas saw off Shintaro Mochizuki in straight sets as well. The duo then teamed up in the Mixed Doubles fixture to seal a 3-0 victory for Greece. Both, Sakkari and Tsitsipas have had some ordinary years on the tour, which has seen them drop way below their best rankings on the tour.
Maria Sakkari, once ranked inside the top five, is just outside the top 50 WTA Rankings. Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas’ horrific 2025 season saw him drop out of the top 30 rankings. However, Sakkari is confident about their prospects for this season. She also heaped praise on Stefanos Tsitsipas, and stated that he was among the best players he has witnessed.
She also went on to add that the Greek deserves to be in the same bracket as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. She believes that given Tsitsipas is back to being healthy, he should be a real challenger on the tour this season.
“I’m very, very confident for both of us. If I’m being deadly honest, I feel like Stefanos is one of the best players I’ve ever seen in my life. He deserves to be up there with Jannik and Carlos. I feel like now that he’s healthy, he has a great chance to come back. I have full belief in him,” Sakkari added.
Stefanos Tsistipas played the majority of the 2025 season with a persistent back injury, which hampered his performances on the tour. He even stated that playing became a lot less enjoyable given his chronic back condition.
“There were phases during the year where I was asking myself, why am I doing this, and why am I putting myself through so much pain? Pain is not an enjoyable thing when you’re an athlete and especially when it keeps coming back and reverting constantly,” said Tsitsipas.
