Maria Sakkari was in great mood after landing in Perth as she joked that the United Cup organizer's gift "will not make my fitness trainer happy."
During the weekend, Team Greece landed in Perth for the 2026 United Cup edition. They share Group E with Great Britain and Japan.
#1 Greek Tennis Superstars Stefanos Tsitsipas (World #3 career high), Maria Sakkari (World #3 career high) & Team Greece do the Baywatch Run on the Beach in Perth, Western Australia
United Cup Tennis 2025#Stef #ATP #WTA pic.twitter.com/bFnfzpJA39
— TennisHYPEMedia (@TennisHypeMedia) December 30, 2025
For the past few years, Sakkari has been regularly kicking off her season by representing her nation. 2026 won't be exception as Greece is once again set to be led by the 2021 French Open semifinalist and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Since the two-time WTA champion has been a regular at the United Cup, the organizers decided to surprise the Greek tennis star with her favorite biscuits. The 30-year-old loved it, but also took the opportunity to crack a joke about receiving the sweet gift just after concluding her preseason work.
Sakkari: My fitness trainer won't be happy when he sees that
“My fitness trainer won’t be happy when he sees them, but that’s okay. I’ll be here for about a month and a half — I’ll have one a day, or one every second day!" the former WTA world No. 3 said.
Friday is the opening day of the United Cup action. That day, Greece will take on Japan.
In the women's singles match, Sakkari will take on Naomi Osaka. They have played five times in the past and the Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion leads their head-to-head 3-2. However, it should be noted that all of their five past meetings came between 2018 and 2021.
After meeting Osaka, Sakkari will also clash against 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu at the United Cup.
