Marketa Vondrousova was straight honest after her Wimbledon title defense came to an end in the first round as the Czech tennis star admitted that she was "really nervous" right from the start and that it probably played a part in her shock loss.
Vondrousova, who became a Grand Slam champion at The Championships last year, was drawn to face 21-year-old Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in her Wimbledon opener. Since Vondrousova entered the match as a Wimbledon champion and Bouzas Maneiro had been yet to clinch a main draw win at The All England Club, there was no doubt that the 25-year-old Czech was the huge favorite to win.
And it was indeed a one-sided battle but just not as many expected - it was world No. 83 Bouzas Maneiro who earned a routine 6-4 6-2 win.
"It's tough to go out defending the title. I was really nervous from the morning and everything," Vondrousova said afterward.
Vondrousova didn't want to blame any physical issues for her loss
Two weeks ago, Vondrousova started her grass season in Berlin, where she defeated Rebeka Masarova before slipping on the grass and retiring versus Anna Kalinskaya in her following match.
Since Vondrousova was looking far away from her best game against Bouzas Maneiro, some instantly thought she was still hampered by a leg issue sustained in Berlin. But the 2023 Wimbledon champion wasn't interested in finding any excuses for her defeat.
"I played good in Paris. I also felt good in Berlin. Then I did the injury, so I didn't play for a couple days. Here practice was good. Matches, always different," Vondrousova added.
"Today I was really nervous since the start. I couldn't maybe shake it off. Also she was playing good. I didn't have many chances to come back to the match or she didn't give me much free points also. Yeah, credits to her."
