Australian tennis player Dahlia Saville violently smashed her racket after losing her opening match at the US Open on Tuesday.
Saville, ranked 95th in the world, slammed her racket repeatedly on court after suffering a heartbreaking 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (10-6) defeat to Japan's Ena Shibahara, ranked 39th in the world.
The 30-year-old Saville later explained that he was playing through an injury and his future is uncertain.
“At the moment, yes.” Saville said after the match: Asked if she was “totally fed up” with the injuries she's endured, which have included two knee surgeries and a torn Achilles tendon, she said: “It was tough mentally. At one point, I thought I didn't deserve it because I didn't try. It's a vicious cycle.”
“I went through something similar when I was playing through an injury and it was a really bad cycle. It made me think, 'Do I really want to do this anymore?'”
“Right now I'm feeling really negative. I don't know how I'll feel tomorrow, and I'll probably not feel that way in a few days, but it's not fun to play with an injury.”
According to news.com.au, Saville posted a picture on Instagram that appeared to show him in hospital after the match.
“I'm in a desperate situation after losing a 3 hour game but I can't walk lol,” she reportedly wrote.
Saville, who went into the US Open as Australia's highest-ranked woman, explained that the only reason she was playing in the tournament was for the prize money.
“No, that's the truth,” she said. “Where else am I going to make money? If I bring in a coach I'm losing money every week. I shouldn't be playing, but where am I going to make money that way?”
“Maybe I'll pick myself up. I want to play Asian swing but sometimes I don't feel like doing that anymore. My tennis is decent but I missed some shots at key points that I wouldn't have missed if I had match experience. Anyway, it's not my level. It wasn't a good level for me.”
“There were moments of good quality, but overall I was very frustrated that it dragged on for so long, probably because I made it worse. That's the problem. You can't make it any worse unless it breaks. And when it does, it's not so bad.”
Any player who loses in the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open will receive $100,000.
Saville could have won $140,000 if he had advanced to the second round.
Saville was struggling with plantar fasciitis in her foot last month while competing in the women's doubles with Ellen Perez at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
They lost in the first round to the American pair Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.
