Chris Evert congratulates Maria Sakkari on her qualification for WTA Finals 2022

Former World No. 1 and 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert took to social media to congratulate Maria Sakkari on qualifying for the 2022 WTA Finals.

The Greek became the eighth and final player to book her spot in the 2022 WTA Finals, which she achieved with her quarterfinal victory over Veronika Kudermetova at the WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara. It will be back-to-back WTA Finals for Sakkari, who has cemented her position as a Top-10 regular on the tour.

Evert was more than happy to congratulate the World No. 6 on her achievement, adding that she will see her in Texas during the season-ending competition.

"You go, girl! See you in Texas!" said Evert.

"It just makes me feel so nice and good about what I'm doing, what I'm showing to everyone outside the tennis court" - Maria Sakkari

Maria Sakkari at the WTA Guadalajara Open Akron 2022

During her post-match press conference after her win over Kudermetova in the quarterfinals, Maria Sakkari remarked that it felt nice to be a role model for girls all around the world.

The Greek revealed that she does not do anything special but only tries to be herself all the time, adding that she was happy to inspire so many people both on and off the court.

"I mean, it's a very nice feeling. Especially these little girls. That little girl has lost her voice probably a hundred times since last year for me. For me as a person, it just makes me feel so nice and good about what I'm doing, what I'm showing to everyone outside the tennis court.

I'm just being myself. I believe that if I can inspire girls and boys that far in the world, I've done something good in my life. I have to say the support of the kids here is very special. They're very well-educated. It helps me just to get better," Maria Sakkari said.

Sakkari credited her parents for instilling these good values in her and giving her a good education, which she felt kept her grounded despite her giddying success over the years.

"My secret I would say is just my parents educated me in a good way. Both of my parents started from zero and they built something very good and very special back home. They always had me and my siblings very grounded about how hard we have to work and everything. We never missed a thing. They were very giving to us. I think that made us to appreciate everything because it's nice to be grounded, just being yourself. I hate when people just change," Sakkari added.