​Maria Sakkari found this year’s edition of the Tournament of Champions on the brink, attending the competition after a last-minute withdrawal from Karolina Muhova. Arriving in Cancun last, the Greek woman is also the first to return home.

>> Tournament of Champions: Defeat of the world leader

Maria Sakkari and WTA Finals 2023 mental breakdown: ‘I’m done’

Sakkari made an unsuccessful debut at the WTA Finals, losing after one hour and 15 minutes in the decider 0-6, 1-6 to Aryna Sabalenka.

Heartbroken by such a result, the athlete from Greece entered the floor against Olena Rybakina, and the result of the first set fully confirmed it: 6-0 in favor of her opponent.

With only one game won in the opening sets of the Tournament of Champions, Maria had a nervous breakdown in front of her coach Tom Hill.

“I’m done,” said Maria, sitting on the bench for a break between sets.

At the post-match press conference, Sakkari found the strength to highlight the positive after the loss to Rybakina.

The Greek woman fought to the full with her opponent, but especially with her own fears, which were firmly entrenched in her mind. Sakkari hurt Rybakinia in the next two sets, both in tiebreaks (the first won 7-4, the second lost 7-2).

“Obviously a very slow start to the game. I was very tense and stressed, and probably the result of the first match (0-6, 1-6 with Sabalenka) gave me a lot of traction.

My biggest victory today (no, even though he lost) was that I was able to overcome that fear on the field. We were just a few points away from possibly winning the match.

I thought I would be mentally low and finish the season badly, but the recovery after today’s game gives me hope” – Maria Sakkari.

Sakkari eventually lost the match, 0-6, 7-6(4), 6-7(2), at the end of a match that lasted two hours and 24 minutes. Due to the defeat, the Greek woman became the first player to be eliminated from the 2023 WTA Finals.

>> Tournament of Champions: A decisive victory for the Grand Slam winner

Bachelor’s group, rating

1. Jessica Pegula (favourite 5) 2-0 (W/W) / 4-0 (Sets) / 25-14 (Games)

1. Aryna Sabalenko (1) 1-1 / 2-2 / 19-13

3. Olena Rybakina (4) 1-1 / 2-3 / 26-26

4. Maria Sakkari (8) 0-2 / 1-4 / 14-31.

The last matches in the Bakalar group will be Aryna Sabalenko – Olena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula – Maria Sakkari. The first two places will go to the semi-finals.

The 2023 Tournament of Champions takes place from October 29 to November 5 on hard court in Cancun, Mexico. Its total prize pool is $9,000,000, starting with the top eight players of the season, and the reigning champion is Caroline Garcia (she did not qualify for this year’s edition).