Australian tennis player Daria Saville viciously destroyed her racket after losing her first-round match at the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
The 95th-ranked Saville smashed her racket repeatedly on the court after a heartbreaking 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (10-6) loss to Japan’s Ena Shibahara, who is ranked No. 39 in the world.
Saville, 30, later explained that she played injured and is uncertain about her playing future.
“At this point, yeah,” Saville said after that match when asked if she was “totally fed up” with injuries, including two knee surgeries and an Achilles issue. “Mentally, it was tough because I felt that at some point, I felt that I didn’t even deserve it, because I didn’t put in the work. It is just a cycle.
“I have had it before when I was playing injured and it is just a horrible cycle. (I’m thinking), ‘Do I even want to do this anymore?’
“I’m really negative right now. I don’t know how I will feel tomorrow and probably I won’t feel that way in a few days, but it is not fun playing injured.”
Saville also shared a photo on Instagram, which appeared to show her in the hospital after the match, according to news.com.au.
“Desperate times after losing a 3 hour match but I can’t walk lol,” she reportedly wrote.
Saville, who entered the U.S. Open as Australia’s highest-ranked woman, went on to explain that the only reason she competed in the tournament was for the paycheck.
“No. That is the truth,” she said. “Like, where else will I make money? I lose money every week if I bring a coach. (I shouldn’t) play but where am I going to make prize money like that?
“I will regroup, maybe. I really want to play the Asian swing but sometimes I maybe feel like I don’t even want to do this thing anymore. The tennis is there but on some big points, I missed some shots that I would not have missed if I had some matches under my belt. That is not the level anyway. It was not a good level from me.
“There were some glimpses of good level, but overall I was so frustrated that it was that long, because I have probably made it worse. That is the thing, you can’t make it too much worse unless it snaps, which is not too bad.”
Players that lose in the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open receive $100,000.
Saville could have made $140,000 if she advanced to the second round.
Saville was dealing plantar fasciitis in her foot when she competed in women’s doubles alongside Ellen Perez last month at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
They suffered a first-round loss to U.S. pair Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.
