Following a straight-sets defeat to Maria
Kirilenko in the first round of the Australian Open, Australian Jarmila Gajdosova delivered a remarkable rebuttal to her expanding roster of critics.
The unpredictable 24-year-old struggled against Kirilenko, with the Russian star capitalizing on a multitude of unforced errors from Gajdosova, securing victory with scores of 6-4 6-2.
During the press conference after the match, Gajdosova seized the moment to address her detractors, expressing that regardless of her performance, she always anticipates criticism in the media.
“Honestly, I don’t know what to tell you,” she shared.
“Imagine yourself in my situation, and that’s how you’d feel. I don’t need to detail how infuriating it is; naturally, it’s frustrating.”
“People constantly question my game whenever I play – all anyone focuses on are my unforced errors.”
The Australian, who is still in the process of reconstructing her life following the end of her marriage to fellow tennis player Sam Groth, admitted that achieving the necessary consistency to improve her game is a significant challenge.
“Everyone mentions my inconsistency, so how would you feel stepping onto the court knowing the first thing they’ll say is, ‘you made 40 unforced errors and that’s the reason for your loss’?” she remarked.
“My performance isn’t solely about making balls, it’s quite straightforward.”
“I recorded 40 unforced errors, 35 winners, and seven aces – I’m essentially even.”
“I lost with scores of four and two despite having chances to win the match, so it’s irrelevant what I do because all anyone will focus on are the unforced errors.”
“It’s disheartening to realize that no matter my efforts when I step out on the court, I’ll never meet anyone’s expectations – so what’s the point?”
“You try and try, and regardless of that, people will say whatever they wish anyway.”
Buford Balony says: If you could actually secure a win, they might ease off, but let’s not forget your dismal performance at the Hopman Cup.
