"I lost my identity, could not feel my tennis" Sakkari on tough stretch ahead of US Open

The Greek player got a bit of help from Andreescu as her body shut down in the 3rd set giving her cramps which severely hampered her play. Even so, the comeback of Sakkari was great to see especially since she struggled with consistency in the past. Asked to explain the match she said:

“It was an incredible match. I didn’t have control of the match until the middle of the second set. I felt like she was better than me, but then somehow I digged in and found a way to just turn things around. I was more brave after a certain point of the match, then got my energy level a little bit higher.”

For Sakkari reaching the quarterfinals at the US Open is a very significant achievement especially after a tough period following her loss to Angelique Kerber at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last month. She explained the situation:

"After my loss with Angie, I just practised for two weeks. I had some very tough practices where I was crying because I could not feel my shots, I could not feel my tennis. But thankfully I had Tom and Yannis, my hitting partner, that supported me a lot."

Asked to go a bit more in detail she said she simply lost her identity:

“I lost my identity. That’s how I called it. I lost myself, part of myself. With my psychologist, as well, I found a way to come back and feel again what I felt out there today.”