Sakkari unveils new fitness brand in quarantine

When life gives you quarantine, launch a fitness brand!

So seems to be the strategy for Greek starlet Maria Sakkari, who is making the most of 14 days in Melbourne isolation with the debut of Sparring with a Spartan—a series that taps into her heritage and challenges fans and fellow players to an intense workout.

“By creating a structured routine which people can easily follow, I hope to inspire people to stay active whatever the situation,” Sakkari wrote in an essay published in *The Times*. “It doesn’t matter if they don’t have much space or equipment. There is obviously a lot of people around the world doing some form of quarantine so if I can help people in some way, physically or mentally, I will be really happy.”

Sakkari ended an interrupted 2020 season just shy of her career-high ranking of world No. 20, and was already putting most New Year’s resolutions to shame when she began the year with Nestle Fitness, a new nutrition sponsorship.

From diet to exercise, the patriotic 25-year-old posted the premiere episode of Sparring with a Spartan on her Instagram page, and admits taking inspiration from her upbringing into everything she does.

“I am a Spartan through my father, so I take a lot of inspiration from my heritage and that enables me to stay tough and have a positive and strong mentality in whatever I am doing.”

Sakkari enjoyed her best Grand Slam results in 2020, reaching the second weeks at both the Australian and US Open and, as she reminds readers, began the new season with a run to the semifinals in Abu Dhabi.

Might this new resolve lead to even greater success after her quarantine concludes?

“We still have seven days before the Australian Open starts on February 8 to be on the court and get ready so I am not too worried," she said. "It’s about controlling the controllables. I will remain positive, keep fit and get through this period.”