Maria Sakkari spoke about Giannis Antetokounmpo after the elimination of the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA playoffs. The leading Greek tennis player called Giannis her idol.
"I'm happy that someone like him spoke about it and maybe this is a wake-up call for those outside of sports to understand what it means when you lose or don't achieve your goals, it's not the end of the world," the 27-year-old said from Madrid, who has an excellent relationship with Giannis.
"I'm sure he's very disappointed that they didn't progress, but the way he's handling it and his mentality is something very special," added the world No.9. "That's why he's one of the best in the world and that's why he's my idol. Because he is not only a freak as an athlete, he is also a freak mentally.
"He always says that tennis is the hardest sport and he has talked to me about it, in general I think he admires individual sports. That's why I think he's improved so much, because he sees himself as a special person in a team, precisely because he's carrying a team on his back.
"Tennis is a sport where you lose every week and you have to try again, erase everything and start from scratch."
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