After another impressive victory at the WTA Athens Open, the home crowd favorite, Maria Sakkari, spoke to the media at the official press conference. The Greek tennis player didn’t hide her excitement about the atmosphere on Center Court. She also revealed what lies behind her signature winning shout and how much the support from her box means to her.
On the feeling of playing in front of the home crowd:
“Playing in front of the Greeks on a Saturday afternoon is truly a beautiful moment… fighting for a place in the final. I feel that something special is happening here.”
Q&A Session
Journalist (Marija): I want to ask you something I constantly notice in your matches. It’s your famous ‘Pame’ or ‘Let’s go’. In what moments do you feel the need to say it? Is it a message to yourself, a way to show confidence to your opponent, or something else?
Maria Sakkari: “I think it’s a combination of both. It’s something that personally gives you motivation and pushes you forward, but at the same time, it’s also something where you often want to let your opponent know: ‘I’m here’. To throw your rival off, you essentially have to do something more than just play well. Also, it’s a great way to engage the crowd, to pull them along to create a fantastic atmosphere. And especially here in Athens.”
Journalist (Pepe): Good evening and congratulations on the win. I think that, besides the crowd support, you also have great help from your team, which lately seems stronger and more expressive than ever. I don’t know if you are constantly adding or changing things, but it seems that it really helps you a lot on the court. Is that so?
Maria Sakkari: “Yes, it’s now this ‘boys squad’, similar to how it was at Wimbledon. People come, some things change, some members are always there, but the fact is that the core of my team is very solid. And here, obviously, we have a lot of ‘additions’… where the main actors are Konstantinos’s friends, who are truly the loudest in the whole stadium! I am very happy that they are here, because it is extremely important for me to know that I have these people by my side. At any moment during the match, I can look over at them and get that necessary extra energy.”
All statements, live scores, and the complete match schedule until the end of the tournament can be followed on our central Hub for the WTA Athens Open 2026.
