It is the first time Gauff has exited a Grand Slam in the first round since Wimbledon two years ago, and just the third time in her career.
“I’m trying to be positive,” Gauff said. “After the match, I definitely was struggling in the locker room. I don’t like losing.
“For me, the main thing I’m sure my team and everyone is going to tell me is, ‘You did well at Roland Garros, don’t be so upset,’ things like that.
“I don’t really like losing. I don’t know, I just feel a little bit disappointed in how I showed up today. I feel like I could have been a little bit better in those tough tiebreaker moments, especially after Roland Garros, where I felt like I learned a lot in those tiebreakers.
“Obviously I’m not going to dwell on this too long because I want to do well at the US Open.
“Maybe losing in the first round here isn’t the worst thing in the world because I have time to reset.”
She tearfully added: “It definitely sucks.”
“I feel like historically, Wimbledon always has so many upsets in the first round,” Gauff continued.
“Most of the seeds are going deeper in Roland Garros, and then you spend like a long clay season, and then you have to come and try to adjust to grass.”
She added: “It seems like Carlos (Alcaraz) and Novak (Djokovic) are the ones to figure it out.
“I think it’s just a combination of everything. I don’t know if it’s just the conditions this year. I really just think it’s that in this turnaround, I think this slam out of all of them is the most prone to have upsets because of how quick the turnaround is from clay.”
