Without a tour-level tennis tournament held in their native Greece, top stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari arrive in Australia each summer of tennis feeling very at home – even if they're halfway around the world from Athens.
"All the Greeks are here to support us at any given moment; we have a great relationship with them," Tsitsipas said a year ago upon his arrival Down Under. "They are always on high attendance when we play [in Australia]... in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane. Now we're in Sydney."
Team Greece will feature in Perth for 2025 United Cup group play at a moment in which both Tsitsipas and Sakkari are seeking restorative results.
TICKETS: Cheer on Team Greece at RAC Arena
Both having been ranked as high as world No.3, Tsitsipas dropped out of the Top 10 to finish 2024 at world No.11, while Sakkari has sunk to No.32 after buttoning up her season early, following an injury at the US Open.
But a new season brings new opportunities, and there's no place they'd rather be than at "home" in Australia for said fresh start.
Having been semifinalists at the inaugural United Cup in 2023, Greece made the quarters a year ago. They'd like their third outing to be a charm, with Sakkari and Tsitsipas familiar partners on the mixed doubles court, too.
Team Greece headlines Group C at Perth’s RAC Arena and will take on Kazakhstan and Spain in round-robin matches both scheduled for the final week of December.
When the duo is on, watch out. Tsitsipas is twice a major runner-up – at Australian Open 2023 and Roland Garros two years before that – while Sakkari has made a pair of Grand Slam semis herself, at the French and US Opens, both in 2021.
While there are still major trophy aspirations, their success, drive, flair and passion have helped fuel a renaissance of the sport at home in Greece, having both come from tennis-mad families.
Tsitsipas packs a one-handed backhand, headband and a thoughtful, often poetic answer to any interview question, while Sakkari is known as "the Sakkattack," her hair in the most perfect sports bun and her physical fitness at a level of no other woman on tour.
"I love spending time in the gym; that gives me a lot of confidence," Sakkari once said. "Whenever I feel good with my body I know that I can play well."
Having not played a match since September, Sakkari will be coming off her most significant training block as a professional. The warning to the other women on tour: Watch out.
Aligned with the Greek spirit, to know Tsitsipas and Sakkari as people away from the court is to delight in a zest for living, adventure and – often – a good time.
Tsitsipas is an avid philosopher, loves photography and cinematography. Sakkari is a coffee snob (in the best way), concert-goer and always up for a laugh.
Between her world-class bun and his flowing, curly locks, they have a strong claim on "best hair" among the United Cup squads for 2025, too.
They both starred in the Netflix tennis series, Break Point, which Sakkari said introduced her to a whole new fan base away from the sport.
"It’s just our personalities being exposed... in a good way," she said. "I’ve had people coming up to me and saying, 'I watched you on Break Point, but not playing tennis.' I think [that's] very good" for tennis.”
What's also very good for tennis is Tsitsipas and Sakkari being back to their best. And should that happen at United Cup 2025, all other nations at the mixed-team event will feel their aura.
"The [Greek] support is intense on every occasion," Tsitsipas said of their support in Australia.
"That for us means a lot. It gives us a psychological advantage knowing that there is this kind of presence on court."
