- Daria Saville is contemplating her future in tennis
- The Australian number one lost control during her defeat at the US Open
- She said she only entered the tournament for the money.
Daria Saville is contemplating her future in tennis after suffering disappointment in her second consecutive Grand Slam with a heartbreaking first-round exit at the US Open in New York.
The dejected Australian number one smashed her racket to pieces after losing 6-3 4-6 7-6 (10-6) to Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara in a rollercoaster of emotions that lasted three hours and 16 minutes at Flushing Meadows.
Saville looked set for her first win in nearly two months after coming back from a set down to lead 2-0, 30-0 in the decider.
But she lost her way after narrowly missing a backhand and allowing Shibahara to regain her serve in the marathon third set.
Saville berated herself for every mistake she made and managed to hold for 6-5 after a 16-minute service game as the shaky encounter inevitably went into a first-to-10 tiebreak.
Unfortunately, a double fault from Saville on match point proved to be the break point for the temperamental former junior world number one.
Saville slammed her racket onto the court five times in disgust and frustration, no doubt mentally tormented by an equally devastating second-round defeat at Wimbledon last month.
On that occasion, Saville blew a 6-2, 5-1 lead against Marta Kostyuk, and has not won since, all the while battling a painful bout of plantar fasciitis in her foot.
Daria Saville was eliminated from the US Open in a disastrous first round match
The Australian smashed her racket and made a surprising revelation when she was knocked out
The 30-year-old admitted she only played the Open for the $100,000 guarantee (the first-round loser’s check).
“That’s the truth. Where else am I going to make money? If I’m taking a coach, I’d be losing money anywhere else,” Saville said.
‘Mentally it was tough because I felt like I didn’t even deserve it for not working hard enough.
“It’s a cycle. I’ve been through it before when I was playing injured and it’s a horrible cycle. (I think: ‘Do I want to keep doing this?’)
“I’m very negative right now. I don’t know how I’ll feel tomorrow and I probably won’t feel that way in a few days, but it’s not fun playing injured.”
Saville, who is on the verge of falling to No. 97 in the world rankings, must quickly recover from her latest setback to remain in the top 100 and secure direct entry to the Australian Open in January.
The energetic baseliner is looking forward to playing on the Asian swing, but is making no promises.
“Maybe I’ll regroup,” Saville said.
“But sometimes I feel like I don’t even want to do this anymore.”