"You are laughable" - Maria Sakkari furious over her and Stefanos Tsitsipas' departure from the top 10 being called "historic low" for Greek tennis

Maria Sakkari did not take well to a remark negatively highlighting her and fellow Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas’ recent downfall in the rankings.

In recent years, Tsitsipas and Sakkari had cemented their place in the men’s and women’s top 10, respectively. However, the duo was pushed out of the elite list when the rankings were refreshed this Monday (February 19).

The update brought an end to Tsitsipas’ almost five-year-long streak as a member of the top 10, having first featured in the list in March 2019. Sakkari, meanwhile, exited for the first time since September 2021. Both players are currently ranked World No. 11 in their respective categories.

In light of new development, a Greek tennis reporting account on X called the duo’s setback “a historic low” for tennis in their country in recent years.

"A historic low for Greece in the men's and women's rankings in the last two and a half years. @steftsitsipas and @mariasakkari dropped out of the top 10 both occupying 11th place in #ATPRankings and #WTARankings respectively as of today," the comment on X read (Translated from Greek).

Maria Sakkari was less than impressed by the coverage and termed the remark as not well-thought-out. Criticizing further, the Guadalajara champion said that such remarks would have a negative impact on the tennis in their country.

"Did you give this much thought before writing it? Because of this, tennis will not go forward in our country. You are laughable!" she wrote on X (Translated from Greek).

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Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas created history for Greek tennis

Despite their recent string of disappointing results, Both Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas are still Greece’s highest-ranked tennis players. The duo has also previously enjoyed the status of being the highest-ranked Greek tennis players in history, having been ranked as high as World No. 3 in their respective categories.

Apart from the record ranking, Tsitsipas’ other career highlights include two Grand Slam runner-up finishes at the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open. The 25-year-old has won 10 career titles so far, including two Masters 1000s in Monte-Carlo (2021, 2022) and the year-end championships in 2019.

Meanwhile, Maria Sakkari’s best Grand Slam results came in 2021 when she reached the semifinals of the French Open and the US Open. She thus became the first Greek woman in history to feature in the last four at a Major. In 2023, the 28-year-old also clinched her second and biggest career title so far at the WTA 1000 in Guadalajara.

In the hopes of turning the corner, Tsitsipas will now contest the 2024 Los Cabos Open. He is the defending champion at the ATP 250 event. Sakkari, meanwhile, will commence her campaign at the WTA 1000 in Dubai against Emma Navarro on Tuesday, February 20.