Emma Raducanu humiliated Donald Trump-supporting Wimbledon ace who caused storm this week
Emma Raducanu humiliated Donald Trump-supporting Wimbledon ace who caused storm this week
Maria Sakkari made headlines for her fiery on-court clash last weekend, but the Greek tennis star was left to rue her words by Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon last year
Maria Sakkari has stirred up controversy with her on-court antics
(Image: Rob Newell - CameraSport, CameraSport via Getty Images )
Emma Raducanu once embarrassed a controversial tennis star who attended US President Donald Trump's inauguration gala at Wimbledon.
Greek tennis star Maria Sakkari found herself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons last weekend after she was involved in a foul-mouthed confrontation at the Bad Homburg Open in Germany.
The 29-year-old took issue with Yulia Putintseva after beating the Russian-born Kazakh 7-5, 7-6 in the competition's third round. Tensions spilt over post-match as the players clasped hands over the net, with Sakkari seemingly unhappy with the handshake.
She told Putintseva to "act like a human being,' to which the latter responded by saying she had, before instructing Sakkari to "go f*** herself". Visibly taken aback, Sakkari replied: "What?!"
Putintseva gestured with her arms outstretched, having possibly been left upset by Sakkari's reaction to winning an epic tiebreaker.
She then kept gesturing for her opponent to walk away, with Sakkari instead following her rival to her chair and demanding: 'F***ing hell, I'm what?' before brutally telling Putintseva: 'Nobody likes you.'
Article continues below
Sakkari is no stranger to fiery behaviour on the court, having also clashed with Danielle Collins in Montreal back in 2023. After hitting a ball into the stands, Collins complained about the action to the umpire.
Sakkari, while preparing for her second serve, responded: "It didn't even hit anyone. It was on the ground." Collins refused to back down as she stated: "Shut your mouth, shut your mouth.'
That only served to escalate the argument, with Sakkari adding: "What's your problem? I didn't hit anyone. I framed the ball," to which Collins said: "You hit the ball into the stands, Maria. You almost hit someone."
Sakkari even tried to unsettle British No. 1 Emma Raducanu before their third-round match at Wimbledon last year, suggesting it wouldn't be an easy encounter for Raducanu against a top-ten player.
Emma Raducanu dismantled the Greek tennis star at Wimbledon
(Image: Getty )
However, Sakkari was left to rue her words as she was defeated inside 92 minutes with a score of 6-2, 6-3, making 31 unforced errors in the process.
Article continues below
Remarkably, Sakkari and her boyfriend, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, were spotted at the inauguration gala for Trump ahead of his second presidential term earlier this year. Mitsotakis gained an invitation to the event due to his father, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, being the Greek Prime Minister.
They were invited by Congressman Konstantinos Bilirakis, representative for Florida. Mitsotakis, whose grandfather was also the Prime Minister of the country, has been dating Sakkari since around 2020.
Raducanu, meanwhile, was overcome with emotion after coming from behind to beat Ann Li in the first round at Eastbourne earlier this week. The world No. 38 has been struggling with back spasms and was forced to pull out of the Berlin Open last week. Raducanu showed resilience by recovering after losing the first set and securing the win, giving her some much-needed confidence in the build-up to Wimbledon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Jack Draper could be in for £3million payout if he wins Wimbledon this year... in which case the British number one could swap his humble £1,000 Polo for a Porsche like Emma Raducanu
As Britain's No 1 tennis player, he is in line for a bumper £3 million payday if he can battle through a challenging draw to scoop this year's Wimbledon trophy. But unlike many successful sports stars, Jack Draper looks set to keep things pretty humble. These exclusive pictures show the 23-year-old still driving around in a battered VW Polo – quite the contrast to the £125,000 Porsche that Emma Raducanu bagged in a lucrative sponsorship deal after winning the 2021 US Open. Taken earlier this month, the photos show Jack filling up the 12-year-old car – worth a measly £1,000 – at a petrol station in Ashtead, Surrey. It is close to where he grew up as the son of former Sport England and Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Roger Draper, and 12 miles from the All England tennis club where he will make his first appearance this week against Argentinian Sebastian Baez, the world's No 38. Draper clearly has a down-to-earth approach that shows his mind is on the game – and not on any potential spoils, which may, in any case, be transient. Raducanu had to hand back her Porsche 911 Carrera late last year, after her world rankings slipped, and she was subsequently seen driving her own modest car, a £5,000 second-hand Dacia Sandero. While Draper's vehicle looked like it has taken a battering over the years, the same cannot be said of his career. These exclusive pictures show the 23-year-old still driving around in a battered VW Polo The past 12 months have seen a remarkable breakthrough, having started last year's grass court season as the world No 40. He reached his first grand slam semi-final at the US Open in September, and took his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells in March before reaching the semi-finals at Queen's this month. Now ranked fourth in the world, it is thought his professional earnings have topped £5 million. But Wimbledon, where he has yet to pass the second round, could be his toughest challenge yet with a tough route to the final. 'I'm really excited to go out there to compete,' said Draper, who has just recovered from a bout of tonsillitis. '[I'm] full of excitement knowing the crowd is right behind me – that I'm going to be playing on the courts that I wanted to play on since I was young, watching [Andy] Murray, watching all these great players perform out there – and it feels amazing to know that.'
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Taylor Fritz defends Eastbourne title in perfect preparation for Wimbledon: ‘I just love it here'
Three-times champion Taylor Fritz came out on top in an all-American decider, beating lucky loser Jenson Brooksby 7-5, 6-1 in the Eastbourne Open final to retain his title. Fritz has never lost a final at Eastbourne, also beating fellow Americans when winning in 2019 and 2022 and, having been taken to three sets in his three previous matches at this year's edition, the final was a more straightforward affair. "There's something about Eastbourne," said Fritz. "I just love it here. Every year I come here and it's such a good week. This year it's been different and I've had to fight through my matches. I feel like I've really upped my level." The top seed was made to battle in the opening set, with Brooksby breaking first, but Fritz responded immediately and broke a second time to clinch the set. Fritz had little trouble wrapping up the straight-sets win, even with Brooksby forcing two break points with the second set poised at 1-1, but the champion held firm and broke Brooksby's next two service games to win his fourth title. The 27-year-old Fritz will now go to Wimbledon full of optimism, having also won the Stuttgart Open earlier in June, and his tournament begins against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Monday. "I'm going to be ready to go. I'd much rather go into the tournament with confidence and a title," Fritz said. Earlier, Australia's Maya Joint saved four match points before beating Alexandra Eala 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(10) to win the Eastbourne title in a gripping final. Four times Eala, the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final, was a point away from victory in the final-set tiebreak but Joint dug deep to prevail. The 19-year-old Joint showed tremendous resilience to stay alive and when she earned her second match point at 11-10 made no mistake, drilling a backhand crosscourt winner. While it was joy for Joint who claimed her second WTA title in her last four events having also won her maiden crown in Rabat on clay, the pain was too much for 20-year-old Eala, who went off court in tears to compose herself before the ceremony. "We will definitely play in more finals," Joint said after the youngest Eastbourne final by combined age since 1981.
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Coco Gauff speaks out on Aryna Sabalenka as tennis stars prepare to renew rivalry after French Open storm
Coco Gauff has spoken out on her feud with fellow tennis powerhouse Aryna Sabalenka after the Belarusians controversial comments following the French Open. Gauff defeated Sabalenka at Roland Garros, with the world's No 1 saying after the defeat that the loss had more to do with her own mistakes than the American's solid play. Sabalenka faced major criticism in the public and later apologized to Gauff for her remarks, calling them unprofessional. Now, on the eve of Wimbledon, and a day after the two were spotted filming a TikTok together on Centre Court, Gauff has spoken out on everything that went down after her French Open triumph. Gauff did admit to wanting to hit back at Sabalenka, but held off after receiving the apology. 'I'm not the person that will fuel hate in the world,' Gauff said. 'I think people were taking it too far. ... It was just really targeting and saying a lot of things that I felt were not nice. I didn't want to fuel that more.' 'I preach love, I preach light. I just want us to be kumbaya, live happily, hakuna matata, and be happy here.' Sabalenka also had the chance to set the record straight in front of the press for the first time since leaving France. 'We are good, we are friends. I hope the U.S. media can be easy on me right now.' 'I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions got over me. I just completely lost it.' Sabalenka starts play at Wimbledon on Monday against Carson Branstine, while Gauff goes against Dayana Yastremska in first-round action on Tuesday.
