Maria Sakkari caught a lot of criticism on social media, which she wasn’t happy about, calling out the so-called 'Twitter journalists.'
In the day and age of modern media, everybody can technically become a journalist. With smartphones having cameras and internet access, anybody can start documenting things that happen.
Lots of people end up becoming journalists without any proper training or credentials. It’s very common on social media, and while it’s not necessarily a bad thing, Sakkari doesn’t respect it.
She’s been under a lot of fire on social media in the past couple of years due to various reasons. The Greek player, in fairness, lost some matches that she was expected to win as a favorite, especially against players who were ranked much lower than her.
She also has a reputation for losing finals, as her career record so far in the finals is 1-4. She'll have a chance to change that at the Parma Open, where she’ll face Mayar Sherif in the final of the WTA 250 event.
When it comes to the criticisms, she’s not very impressed by it, especially when it comes from 'Twitter journalists' who might or might not have real journalist credentials, as she stated when talking in the Italian city.
"WTA level is very high. I disagree with Twitter "journalists" that have no life and just criticize players."
"You have to respect every singles player, because you don't know what they are going through, you have to respect women tennis and players."
There is some merit in what Sakkari had to say, but ultimately, some might even be stating facts too harshly for her liking. She hasn’t been very good in finals, and that’s mostly under her control.
Journalists will point that out, Twitter or not. The way they go about it can vary, but ultimately, all of this is just part of her job. Sakkari can silence everybody by beating Sherif in the final. That’s the best antidote for criticism.