Food Court: From guilty pleasures to Greek delights, Tsitsipas and Sakkari indulge!

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari are aiming to make a fast start to their 2025 campaigns when they lead Team Greece into battle Saturday at the United Cup.

The exciting duo guided their nation to the semi-finals in 2023 and are hungry for more this time around. Yet their hunger is not just for Greece's success on the court. Ahead of their opening clash with Spain on Saturday, ATPTour.com caught up with Tsitsipas and Sakkari to talk all things food.

A Christmas Down Under with team Greece 🎄 🇬🇷 #UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/d6vTHo2Clu

— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 25, 2024

Stefanos, let’s say Maria is coming over for dinner tonight. What do you cook for her and why?
Tsitsipas: "Something Christmassy, right? I would like to prepare turkey with roasted potatoes and vegetables, because I enjoy eating them. Then I would probably have a nice Greek salad."
“Of course! We need to have a Greek salad on the table,” Sakkari demands.

Maria, what would cook for Stefanos?
Sakkari: "I would make tiropita [Greek cheese pie] to start, a Greek salad of course, and kokkinisto as a main course. Kokkinisto is beef cooked in tomato sauce for hours."
“It’s so soft, I can’t wait to go to Greece!” Tsitsipas responds, struggling to contain his excitement.

How would you rate your cooking skills?
Sakkari: “I’m not great, but I’m okay. I try my best!”
Tsitsipas: “It’s one of those things that I have started recently, and I even bought cook books to get better when I have time. I don’t know when I will have time in the next few years but I am really into it.”

Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Sakkari: “I do, quite a lot. I really like souvlaki, but I also like my burgers a lot. Those are my top two.
Tsitsipas: “I would say revani, that’s my big guilty pleasure but I don't eat it everyday. It’s like a sweet cake, a typical Greek dessert.”

What do you normally eat the night before a match?
Sakkari: "Protein with rice, potatoes, and veggies. Pretty boring, nothing spectacular."

What is the biggest misconception about a tennis player’s diet?
Tsitsipas: “That everyone eats like Novak Djokovic! That’s a big misconception.”
Sakkari: “I would agree, yes.”

_{^{Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari at the 2025 United Cup in Perth. Photo: TENNIS AUSTRALIA.}}

To keep in line with the theme of the United Cup, ATPTour.com had Tsitsipas and Sakkari team up and rank a list of 10 Greek foods in order of preference, but they didn’t know which one was coming next!

Loukoumades? [Crispy dough balls covered in syrup]
7
Spanakopita? [Savoury spinach pie]
“Top 4 for sure, but where?" Sakkari asks. 3.
Fasolada? [Bean and tomato soup]
“Ooooh," Tsitsipas exclaims. 6
Souvlaki? [Grilled meat on a skewer]
“That’s top 2, the signature!" Tsitsipas says.
"We have to go with 1!” Sakkari demands. 
Dolmadakia? [Vegetable leaves rolled around meat and grains]
8
Saganaki? [Fried cheese]
4
Moussaka? [Eggplant or potato-based lasagne]
"2. That’s an easy one." They agree. 
Tzatziki? [Cucumber yogurt sauce]
5
Kleftiko? [Slow-roasted lamb]
10
Pastitsio? [Beef pasta bake]
“No! I forgot about pastitsio. You left the best food until the last!" Sakkari says with disappointment. "We have to go 9.”