Maria Sakkari Wins WTA 1000 Tournament In Guadalajara, Time To Smile Again
FCI Staff Writer Sacramento 
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October 22, 2023,
Tennis players have a love affair with winning tournament titles.
It’s great for points.
Even better for money.
So, if this song speaks to a player’s recent results, there might be reason for concern.
The legendary Three Degrees were so profound.
When will I see you again?
When will we share precious moments?
Will I have to wait forever?
Will I have to suffer (suffer)
And cry the whole night through?
For tennis super star Maria Sakkari, she has been wondering for quite some time, when would she see another tournament title again. Well, good things come to those who wait.
And work extremely hard.
Staying healthy is very helpful too.
As reported by wtatennis.com, “Determined to smile through an event where she finished as runner-up last year, Sakkari went one better in 2023 and won her first Hologic WTA Tour singles title in over four years.”
Winning the 2023 Guadalajara Open AKRON was a huge accomplishment.
And relief.
The 2023 Guadalajara Open Akron, is a women’s tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 2nd edition of the tournament, a WTA 1000 event on the 2023 WTA Tour. It was held at the Panamerican Tennis Center in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico, from September 17-23, 2023.
Then there was more great news for Maria. Like so many things in life, good news appears to come in bunches.
By winning the WTA 1000 tournament in Guadalajara, she was awarded $450,500. This helped our luminary surge past the 10 million dollar mark in career earnings.
And just when you were starting to feel a little sorry for her, $10 mil can wash away a lot of tears.
After her title in Mexico, Maria has now earned $10,262,923.
And guess what? That is not including sponsorships.
Maria has sponsorships with Adidas, Wilson, Rolex, Green Cola, Replay, Apivita and Dior.
We love sponsorships. We desire a closer look.
At Maria’s Instagram she smiles, “Honoured to become a part of such a prestigious fashion house that is @dior. It’s a true privilege and I am so excited to be involved with a brand that has revolutionised the female fashion industry!”
Dior has certainly done that.
Christian Dior SE, commonly known as Dior, is a French multinational luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnau. This brand sells only shoes and clothing that can only be bought in Dior stores.
Sounds exclusive.
Over the years we have written about so many A-List actresses who partner with Dior.
Here are just a few of the names: Milla Jovovich, Charlize Theron, Sharon Stone, Eva Green, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna and other top stars.
Maria is in great company.
We like to learn a little more about Apivita, a company that produces natural hair and skincare products.
At their home apivita.com they smile, “Founded in Athens in 1979 by two pharmacists pioneers in environmental sustainability, Niki & Nikos Koutsianas, APIVITA (which means “life of the bee”) offers effective natural beauty products for the face, body and hair. Our formulas harness the power of Greek nature with key ingredients derived from value-added bee products and medicinal plants, enhanced by cutting edge green cosmetology.”
Wow. Very insightful. Have you heard of them? Did you know that? They’ve really got our attention.
We desire more.
Here is their mission. “Inspired by the eternal synergy between bees and Greek nature, APIVITA places its passion and commitment to the environment at the heart of everything we do. Just like the beehive, our company is a living organism that never stops creating and distributing value”
One more. A little off the beaten path.
Who is Maria’s other partner in Green Cola?
Green Cola is a carbonated soft drink developed by Greek beverages company Green Cola Hellas in Orestiada. Released in 2012, the soda is now widely available in Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, the Middle East, Slovenia, Poland and in other countries.
Green Cola, a soda sweetened with stevia. The drink has been branded as having the taste of other colas but “without all of the bad stuff”.
Sounds bubbly great.
So, what created the concern for Maria about not winning titles anymore? She has such an incredible resume, we can understand her frustration.
Maria has been ranked as high as world No. 3 by the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association), which she first achieved on March 21, 2022, making her the highest-ranked female Greek player in history.
That is a remarkable achievement but also an incredibly high bar.
She served the sixth most aces of any WTA player in 2020, with 144 aces served in 31 matches.
Serena Williams is no doubt proud of her. Imitation is the highest form of flattery.
Maria reached the semifinals at the 2017 Wuhan Open, where she defeated Caroline Wozniacki for her first top-10 win. In 2019, she reached another Premier 5 semifinal at the Italian Open where she defeated, among other players, Petra Kvitová. In 2020, Maria reached the fourth round at both the Australian and US Opens.
In 2021, she reached the semifinals at the French and US Opens, making her the first Greek woman to reach a major semifinal.
We love watching her tear the cover off of the ball, along with her demonstrative passion and on court energy. She is known for her aggressive, all-court style of play, centered around her strong serve and powerful groundstrokes.
We she is on, Maria is a sight to see.
So, when she lost in the first round of the 2023 US Open to Rebeka Masarova, as of September 25, 2023, the 67th ranked player in the world, given Maria’s credentials and expectations, you could see why she was a little depressed.
What helped Maria gain a different perspective was when she listened to the 2023 US Open Champion, Coco Gauff enlighten the tennis world about how other people have bigger problems than we have when we lose a tennis match.
How true that is.
Many people are dealing with some very serious life issues on a daily basis.
Maria reflected on having her health, family and friends and maybe she should smile a little more.
It also helps to make over $10 million dollars in prize money and finally win an important singles tournament. Again.
Reflecting upon that, kind of makes you want to sing.
And appreciate.
~ ~ ~
OPENING PHOTO Jimmie48-Photography-wikipedia-photo-credit-.Free use, Fair use fcielitecompetitor.com, fciwomenswrestling2.com, femcompetitor.com, grapplingstars.com fcielitecompetitor.com
https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/the-three-degrees/when-will-i-see-you-again
https://www.wtatennis.com/news/3697536/week-in-review-smiling-sakkari-takes-home-long-awaited-title
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Guadalajara_Open_Akron
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/09/25/maria-sakkari-breaks-10-million/
https://twitter.com/mariasakkari/status/1486031579545804805?lang=en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dior
https://www.apivita.com/usa/origins
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Cola
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Sakkari
https://www.fciwomenswrestling2.com
https://www.fcielitecompetitor.com/
https://fciwomenswrestling.com/
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