Watch: Anett Kontaveit breaks down in tears over crowd treatment during US Open press conference after Serena Williams loss
Anett Kontaveit was in a lose-lose situation on Wednesday night whatsoever, drawn to play against Serena Williams at the 2022 US Open in front of her home fans in New York.
Taking on the American in the second round, the Estonian was either going to have the infamy of losing to a 40-year-old who had played only a handful of matches all year or gain the notoriety of heartlessly beating the legend at her farewell tournament.
Anett Kontaveit couldn’t hold back her tears after last question and left press conference early 😭😭😭 https://t.co/obdzrAhnBL
The former turned out to be the case, as the World No. 2 crashed out with a 6(4)-7, 6-2, 2-6 loss at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The New York crowd were, understandably, behind the the former World No. 1 the whole way, even going as far as to boo Kontaveit at one point for saving a break point on her own serve.
Anett Kontaveit finished her press conference in tears as she became so upset over the #usopen crowd tonight when she was asked about in Estonian on how well she played through that vs Serena Williams. https://t.co/FrLSN2lOkW
At her press conference afterwards, the 26-year-old appeared in control for the most part, talking about how it felt to watch a montage dedicated to the 23-time Grand Slam champion prior to their match and how she had no hard feelings against the fans for their treatment of her.
"It was her moment. I mean, I was trying to do my own thing. Yeah, I mean, of course, this is totally about her. I was very aware of that," Kontaveit said. "I think they were not rooting like against me. They just wanted Serena Williams to win so bad. So, I mean, I don't think it's a personal attack against me or anything. I mean, it's fair. I mean, she deserves this."
But something broke the World No. 2 as the conversation switched to Estonian, leading to Kontaveit bursting into tears after taking just one question. According to Gunnar Leheste, the journalist who asked her the question, the 26-year-old's emotions boiled over after he thanked her for playing one of the best-ever tennis matches in Estonia's history.
All Leheste told Kontaveit was that she doesn't have to be embarrassed about losing to a champion like Serena Williams while comforting her by adding that the crowd were indeed too hard on her.
@BenRothenberg I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention at all. I was just thanking her for the greatest match that one Estonian can experience via television. She told that she don't have to be embarrassed by loss against Serena and that the crowd was really hard, and that was it.
Kontaveit herself agreed with the statement, which proved to be the tipping point for the second seed. She left the press room in a hurry afterwards, making for incredibly sad scenes in the aftermath of the encounter.
Interviewer: was there any difference between losing and losing to Serena?
Anett: I definitely had no shame losing to Serena, it was very difficult with the crowd
https://t.co/jM6KGoNcYj
"I think she always has a chance to win" - Anett Kontaveit on Serena Williams
At the press conference, Anett Kontaveit was also asked about her thoughts on Serena Williams' chances at the 2022 US Open, to which the World No. 2 admitted that she had as good a chance as any other player.
Despite the presence of players in better form in the draw, the Estonian reckons Williams can beat anyone if she plays as well as she did against her.
"I think [Serena Williams] played very well, very well today. I mean, I know there is also a lot of very strong girls there in the draw," Kontaveit said. "But, I mean, I think if she plays really good tennis, I think she always has a chance to win."
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Schedule