Naomi Osaka said she had been overwhelmed by the pressure of defending her Australian Open title and admitted she does not have a "champion mentality" after losing to 15-year-old Coco Gauff on Friday.
The 22-year-old Japanese made the startling admission after a surprise 6-3, 6-4 third-round defeat to the unseeded American, a loss she said she took "very personally".
The third seed said that she "loved" Gauff, but added: "You don't want to lose to a 15-year-old." There was intense interest in the build-up to their second ever match, which was touted as a glimpse into the future of women's tennis.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Osaka crushed a tearful Gauff in the US Open third round, but the teenager -- the youngest player in the Melbourne draw -- got emphatic revenge.
"I don't really have the champion mentality yet, which is someone that can deal with not playing 100 percent (but still win)," said Osaka.
"And I have always wanted to be like that, but I guess I still have a long way to go.
"It's just something that I think some people are born with and some people have to have really hard, trials and stuff, to get it."
"Then there are moments like this where I get overwhelmed and I don't really know what to do in the situation."