Maria Sakkari's difficult 2024 continued after the Greek No. 1 withdrew from the China Open due to an ongoing injury.
Hopes were high for Sakkari after she hired Jessica Pegula and Venus Williams' former coach, David Witt, at the start of March. Witt's experience and track record made him seem like the perfect fit.
The pair enjoyed instant success when Sakkari reached the Indian Wells Open final in her first tournament with Witt by her side. She finished as the runner-up to Iga Swiatek, but the future looked promising after that run in California.
Unfortunately, that was as good as things got for Sakkari during her time with Witt. The American left her team a few months later and the Greek's results did not improve afterward.
Life became even more difficult for Sakkari at the US Open. She was forced to retire from her US first-round match against Yafan Wang after the first set because of a shoulder injury.
Unfortunately, that issue is more severe than Sakkari and her fans hoped. Shoulder problems often require a significant recovery period, which is the case for the former French Open semifinalist's injury.
Sakkari already had to withdraw from the Guadalajara Open. That was a bitter pill to swallow because she was the defending champion in Mexico. Last year's Guadalajara Open was a WTA-1000 tournament and was the biggest title of Sakkari's career.
The 29-year-old has now withdrawn from the China Open, another WTA-1000 event. It is one of the biggest tournaments on the WTA Tour calendar, with this year's iteration being nearly two weeks long.
Missing the China Open would be disappointing under any circumstances, but it is particularly damaging for Sakkari because of what she achieved at last year's Guadalajara Open.
Sakkari was due to defend the 1000 points she won in Guadalajara. Being unable to play at the China Open means she is guaranteed to slip considerably down the rankings and outside the Top 10.
That compounds Sakkari's thoroughly miserable year. After what she has gone through this season, ending her year early and preparing for a fresh start in 2025 might not be a bad idea.
A break could also be a good idea because Sakkari's schedule off the court will be busier next year. She was one of the women elected to the WTA Players' Council after the 2024 elections earlier this week.
Sakkari is one of the Top 20 representatives. Despite her struggles on the court, the Greek is well-spoken during interviews and press conferences and should be well-suited to defending the interests of players.
Jessica Pegula was re-elected to the Council. The US Open runner-up is one of the most affable players on the WTA Tour. That makes her re-election by her peers as a Top 20 representative unsurprising.
Hopefully, Sakkari's fortunes will change when she returns from injury. She is very likable and easy to root for, but she was stuck in a rut before getting injured. Sakkari is immensely talented and still has time to achieve great things.
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