'Decent' doesn't do for Brits
HEATHER WATSON’S Wimbledon is over after she was knocked out of the women’s doubles competition in the last 16.
The 30-year-old Sarnian, who also made the fourth round of the ladies’ singles at this year’s Championships, went down 7-5 4-6 2-6 yesterday alongside fellow Brit Harriet Dart to the number four seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko.
‘They’re the fourth seeds for a reason and they raised their game in the second set,’ said Watson afterwards. ‘Then it’s tough, because once they get a bit of a gap, it’s hard to close it.
‘Ostapenko is a Grand Slam (singles) champion. In fact they are both really good players. They play super-aggressive. You might know the ball is coming at you, but it sometimes can be really hard to control because it’s very fast.
‘We played a decent match overall, but just weren’t able to capitalise on the chances that we got after that first set.’
Watson admitted that she did not get much sleep over the course of Sunday night and Monday morning following her 6-2 6-4 fourth round singles defeat to Jule Niemeier of Germany on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
In a below-par performance, compared to the standards set in her previous three rounds, Watson struggled to keep up with her big-hitting opponent after losing serve in the fifth game of the first set.
In her defence, she had played every day in either singles or doubles. Eventually, that kind of schedule is likely to take its toll, not that Watson was searching for excuses.
‘I just wanted more out of myself yesterday, but she didn’t allow me,’ said the Sarnian. ‘I have to give her credit there. She didn’t allow me into the match.
'It just wasn’t meant to be, but I have to be proud of how I did, especially coming into the tournament with not a lot of matches or prep or confidence.'
