Gavrilova wilts under the pressure

AUSTRALIAN Daria Gavrilova will consider consulting a sports psychologist after admitting she is unable to cope with grand slam tournament pressure following a crushing Wimbledon defeat.

The 23-year-old said expectation had stifled her effectiveness in a fraught 6-4, 2-6, 10-8 loss to Croat qualifier Petra Martic.

“I think I can’t really cope with grand slam pressure,” the Russian-born, Melbournebased player said.

“I seriously feel I’m more intense on court since the very beginning.

“I was getting hot and I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, what’s happening?’

“I’m being honest. Hopefully I’ll learn one day and not treat it as if it’s my last opportunity.

“Before the match, I was calm and I had great preparation and in my pre-match warm-up I didn’t miss a ball.”

Despite her steady rankings rise to 20th in the world, Gavrilova has won just four grand slam matches in her past five majors – and only one outside of Australia.