Maria Sakkari is in a strong position to start her Roland Garros campaign. She has, however, expressed her opinions about the competition well in advance of the major event, stressing that it is about more than just the “Big Three” of Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Aryna Sabalenka. The Greek tennis player took a sly jab at them by downplaying the idea of a trio in control and pointing to a more competitive field. Even in a non-team sport, there’s no single crown to be had.

The three of them frequently make headlines but at the same time, Sakkari’s consistency is underappreciated and frequently overlooked. In light of this, her most recent declaration will give you chills to the bone. She said, “I just feel like for me, my main goal is to get into that top-three level, and then everything for me is possible.”

Even though Sakkari shared the clear belief that the world number one has turned out to be incredible in the past couple of years, at the same time she understood that everyone, including herself, is beatable on the court. Not only that, she also highlighted how it’s not just the big 3, but the other players, including the top 10, who can give a tough competition in the French Open.

Subsequently, she said, “Iga is the most stable player right now, but I just feel like everyone is playing good. And on a good day, everyone can beat anyone. So I don’t really pay attention to that ‘Big Three’ talk, because I don’t think it’s only three players at that level right now, it’s more than three.”

The 28-year-old is aware of how unexpected the game of tennis can be because she is a player who has consistently placed in the top 10 since breaking into the list. She has shown success both on and off the court, rising to a career-high ranking of third in the world in 2022.

Conversely, Aryna Sabalenka has accepted her position as one of the “Big Three” of the WTA and expressed how she views herself as standing tall with Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina. The two-time Grand Slam champion highlighted her accomplishments and journey a few weeks ago, embracing her place in this exclusive trio.

In contrast to Maria Sakkari’s take, Aryna Sabalenka embraces the ‘Big Three’

After the quarterfinal exit at the Stuttgart Open, the world number two-ranked tennis player shared her take on the possibility of forming a big three just like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. She stated, “I feel that I have lowered the level a little within that hypothetical ‘Big Three’, this last month seems more like a Big Two.”

On the other hand, she mentioned, “However, I am happy to be part of this group. I hope to maintain my level and that things, they keep playing this way.” Although Sabalenka was not happy with the way her results were not up to par for the group, now that she has reached the finals in Madrid and Rome, things might shake up just yet.

With Sakkari’s strong words on the ‘Big Three’, it will be interesting to see what her French super campaign looks like!