"Won just two matches on slams": Tennis fans frustrated at Maria Sakkari receiving WTA Finals chance, labelling it a 'scam'

Tennis fans were left upset when it was announced Maria Sakkari would be taking the spot of Karolina Muchova at the upcoming WTA Finals, following the Czech star's withdrawal.

Muchova stunned the tennis community after reaching the final of the 2023 French Open, losing to defending champion Iga Swiatek. The Czech star would go on to impress throughout the rest of the season, finishing runner-up at the Cincinnati Masters in August.

The 27-year old recently took to social media to announce she would be skipping the year-ending WTA Finals due to a wrist injury.

"I am heartbroken to announce that I will miss my first WTA Finals in Cancun," she wrote on Instagram. "Together with the team & doctors, we tried everything till the last moments to resolve my wrist injury.

"Unfortunately, the time needed for the recovery is longer than we would've hoped for and therefore I had to make this unpleasant decision. I greatly appreciate the support of all the fans. I will do my best to be back in 2024 and get another chance to be part of the WTA Finals."

Although fans were sympathetic towards the World No.8, the feelings of empathy quickly changed to anger when it was revealed Greek star Maria Sakkari would be replacing Muchova.

"[Maria] Sakkari playing [WTA] Finals feels so wrong. Won just two matches on slams. Her biggest result was Guadalajara where she played ONE top 50 player. Played like 649202 tournaments. I’m sorry, I know some of you like her, but this is definition of the word 'scam'," wrote one fan.

"Sakkari - a consistent top 10 player and even top 5 player and has basically done nothing in her career other than one title last month I think. It seems getting to the quarters consistently is good enough to keep you in the top 10 which is annoying considering how well others work," wrote another passionate fan.

"Not Maria getting free ride again lol," pointed out a rather sarcastic fan.

"So Sakkari playing in WTA Finals with 3R 1R 1R 1R results at slams in 2023😭," lamented another fan.