Podcast 305: Chasing Greatness: Maria Sakkari on Mental Health, Longevity, and Tennis

On this week’s episode, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed is joined by global tennis star Maria Sakkari.

Will and Maria discuss her journey to becoming the #3 player in the world, how she prepares for a big match, her WHOOP data and what she tracks to be her best. Plus, some key lessons Maria learned from her injury and how to increase longevity as an athlete.

Will and Maria also dive into the importance of protecting mental health as a professional athlete and some rapid-fire questions.

Episode Chapters:

• 00:26 - Intro
• 01:38 - Maria’s start in tennis & going pro
• 05:55 - Independence in Tennis
• 07:01 - Becoming #3 in the world
• 07:57 - How Maria prepares for a big match
• 15:09 - What Maria tracks to be the best
• 16:58 - Maria’s WHOOP data
• 20:19 - Lessons from injury
• 23:09 - Longevity as an athlete
• 25:18 - Inner Ad
• 25:51 - Mental health as a professional athlete
• 33:44 - Playing Serena for the first time
• 36:42 - Rapid-fire Q’s

Research Links: 

Maria on Instagram

Maria on X