Just a few months after opening its doors, Ikos Kissamos, the Sani/Ikos Group’s newest resort on the western coast of Crete, hosted a special event on Thursday, July 23, bringing together Greece’s top-ranked tennis star Maria Sakkari and dozens of young tennis players from the Chania region.
Maria Sakkari: alongside the next generation of Cretan athletes
The Greek champion, who has carved out an extraordinary career at the highest levels of professional tennis and stands as one of Greece’s most prominent ambassadors in international sport, spent meaningful time with children from tennis clubs across the wider Chania region — including young athletes who are already making their mark in competitive play. She trained alongside the children on the courts of Ikos Kissamos and, through an open and candid conversation, shared personal stories from her international career. She spoke about the importance of perseverance, discipline, and sportsmanship, answered the young athletes’ questions, and offered them invaluable advice and inspiration for their own sporting journeys ahead.
An initiative by Ikos Legends, the signature program of Ikos Resorts
The event took place under the banner of Ikos Legends, the signature initiative of Ikos Resorts that brings together world-class sporting icons with young athletes and local communities through authentic experiences that go far beyond traditional hospitality.
This initiative builds on the Sani/Ikos Group’s existing partnership with the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre at Sani in Halkidiki, which has repeatedly welcomed Rafael Nadal and Toni Nadal for training sessions and engagement activities with athletes. Maria Sakkari is the first Greek champion to join the initiative as an Ikos Legend Ambassador, embodying the core values at the heart of the program: excellence, authenticity, respect, fair play, and the power of sport to inspire the next generation.
The event marked the first Ikos Legends activation at Ikos Kissamos, bringing to life the program’s defining mission: to create inspiring, meaningful exchanges between role models in their fields and the local communities where the Group operates — while celebrating the unique character and identity of each destination.
Ikos Kissamos represents the largest luxury hospitality investment ever undertaken in Crete and has been designed to meet LEED GOLD certification standards, incorporating high-performance sustainability requirements from the earliest stages of its development. From day one, it has established itself as a landmark for a contemporary vision of hospitality — one deeply connected to local heritage, sport, culture, and community. Its operations form part of the broader strategy of the Sani/Ikos Group to create a meaningful and lasting positive impact in every destination where it operates. As part of this commitment, the Group supports more than 60 local organizations and community bodies, while implementing systematic programs to protect biodiversity and the natural environment.
