Barbora Krejcikova's run to the Wimbledon third round reminded her how it felt to compete on the biggest stage without being hampered by injuries but in a cruel twist of fate her body let her down and her title defense ended on Saturday.
The 29-year-old Czech was knocked out when she was beaten 2-6 6-3 6-4 by American 10th seed Emma Navarro in a disjointed display where she led by a set and a break but ended up drained in the final set and needing treatment from the doctor.
Tears flowed as she served to stay in the match at 5-3 and she fought on with a hold but the end came swiftly, continuing a frustrating season in which she has been battling a niggling back injury.
"I was enjoying every match that I played here. I was enjoying being on court, being able to play, being pain-free, having some good moments, having some tough situations but overcoming them, enjoying the atmosphere," Krejcikova said.
"I was also really enjoying the position that I was in. Unfortunately, it ended up this way, which is very unfortunate and really sad and disappointing for me."
Krejcikova said that American Navarro was ultimately fitter than her and had more energy when it mattered to take control of the match.
"First of all, I thought that it was the food, that I ate too early. That's why I started with all the bananas and all the sugars and stuff inside," Krejcikova said as she looked to pinpoint the reason for her on-court issues.
"But I wasn't really feeling better, I was actually feeling worse and worse with time on court. It's very sad for me, very unfortunate."
Krejcikova said she would now focus on the North American hardcourt swing with tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati ahead of the US Open in August.
"I don't know if I'll play something in between," said the world number 16.
"I'm going to drop on the rankings, so I think I will need to play more tournaments to gain some points and to come back."
