Tennis star drops brutally honest truth bomb after smashing her racquet to pieces during disastrous US Open match: ‘Do I even want to do this anymore?’
- Daria Saville reflects on her future in tennis
- The Australian No. 1 lost it during her defeat at the US Open
- She said she only entered the tournament for the money
Daria Saville is considering her future in tennis after winning her second consecutive Grand Slam and being knocked out in the first round at the US Open in New York.
The distraught Australian No. 1 shattered her racket after losing 6-3 4-6 7-6 (10-6) to Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara in an emotional rollercoaster of three hours and 16 minutes at Flushing Meadows.
Saville looked set to secure her first win in almost two months after coming from a set down to take a 2-0, 30-0 lead in the deciding set.
But she lost her way after narrowly missing a backhand to allow Shibahara to return to serve in the marathon third set.
Saville blamed himself for every mistake, but managed to hold on at 6-5 after a 16-minute service game. The match was volatile and ended in a tiebreak with the first 10 points.
Unfortunately, a double fault from Saville on match point proved to be the breaking point for the temperamental former world number 1 in the junior ranks.
Saville slammed her racket onto the court five times in disgust and frustration, no doubt mentally troubled by a similarly gruelling second-round defeat at Wimbledon last month.
Saville then squandered a 6-2 5-1 lead against Marta Kostyuk – and has not won since, while battling a painful bout of plantar fasciitis in her foot.
Daria Saville was knocked out of the US Open in a disastrous first round match
The Australian smashed her racket and made a stunning revelation as she was knocked out
The 30-year-old admitted she only played the Open for the guaranteed $US100,000 (the first-round loser’s cheque).
“That’s the truth. Where else am I going to make money? I’m losing money everywhere if I take a coach,” Saville said.
‘Mentally it was tough because I felt like I didn’t deserve it because I didn’t put in enough effort.
“It’s just a cycle. I’ve had it before when I’ve played injured and it’s just a horrible cycle. (I think), ‘Do I even want to do this anymore?’
“I’m really negative now. I don’t know how I’m going to feel tomorrow and probably in a few days I won’t feel like this anymore, but it’s not fun playing injured.”
Saville is set to drop to 97th in the world rankings and needs to recover quickly after her latest setback to stay in the top 100 and qualify directly for the Australian Open in January.
The combative baseliner hopes to be able to play the Asian swing, but he is not making any promises yet.
“Maybe I’ll pull myself together,” Saville said.
“But sometimes I might feel like I don’t want to do this at all anymore.”