After Gerard Pique Claimed $50,000,000 From ITF, WTA Rank 9 Maria Sakkari Reveals Her Connection With Shakira as She Faces Coco Gauff in DC Open Final

Gerard Pique and Shakira’s split has not been a pleasant sight. With every passing day, new reports of the fall-out keep emerging. With Pique’s ongoing fight with the International Tennis Federation, Greek tennis star Maria Sakkari revealed a connection between her and Shakira, raising many eyebrows. But what’s the link?

A few days ago, the Barcelona legend and his venture Kosmos claimed $50 million compensation from the ITF. As per reports, the IFT ended its Davis Cup partnership with Pique’s Kosmos. The contract between both parties was for 25 years and hence, Kosmos filed a suit against the ITF. Amid this saga, Sakkari has revealed a connection with Pique’s former partner, Shakira, ahead of the intense DC Open final. 

Maria Sakkari or Shakira?

Maria Sakkari, known for her aggressive, all-court style of play, stormed into the DC Open Final. The Greek international, ranked 9th in the WTA, will play US tennis sensation Coco Gauff in the final. Meanwhile, Sakkari recently told Tennis Channel’s Warm and Fuzzy host Michael Kosta that fans often call her Shakira. Her last name coincides with that of a Colombian singer. She said, “Some people call me Shakira, like the singer.” However, Sakkari doesn’t have the Latin singer on her favorite playlist.

The Greek athlete admitted that her all-time favorite song is ‘Magnificent’ by U2. Overall, she prefers Greek music.

The Greek superstar is also a massive fan of Olympiacos, owned by a Greek entrepreneur, Evangelos Marinakis. However, she also follows another soccer club closely, the Premier League club Nottingham Forest. The reason is simple. Marinakis, the owner of Olympiacos, also owns Forest. She disclosed her love for Forest last year.

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Sakkari told BBC Radio Nottingham, “They’re owned by a Greek person who owns my team in Greece, Olympiacos. It’s a great connection, and I will be supporting them next season.” Meanwhile, the fight between Pique and ITF continues.

Gerard Pique wants $50 million

ITF entered into a partnership with Pique’s Kosmos Group in 2018. It was a 25-year agreement to revamp the Davis Cup competition. ITF ended the association with Kosmos five years into the $3 billion contract. Meanwhile, the ITF ensured the financial contingencies were in place. Despite this, Pique claimed $50 million in compensation from the Tennis Federation. 

In an interview with ‘Marca’, Pique claimed Kosmos delivered success with Davis Cup. They increased the number of sponsors from three to 15 in five years. Also, the World Cup winner claimed the competition’s revenue increased significantly. Kosmos even paid $40 million per year, despite the Covid pandemic disrupting sports.

“After the termination of contract by the ITF there is now litigation between us in which we are claiming up to 50 million dollars. We can’t say more because of confidentiality restrictions. But I am proud of everything we did,” he said. It will be interesting to see what the outcome will be.

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Let us know your thoughts on whether Gerard Pique is right to claim the amount from ITF.