Serena: I have never returned like that in my life
Former world number one Serena Williams struggled to find the words to describe her ASB Classic exit on Wednesday.
Serena Williams described her ASB Classic defeat to Madison Brengle as "obscene" and suggested she had "never returned like that in my life".
The former world number one was a shock second-round victim on Wednesday as Brengle recorded the biggest win of her career, the 26-year-old winning 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-4.
Mistakes littered Williams' game throughout their two hours on court, the 35-year-old particularly hampered by the windy New Zealand conditions.
Her footwork was far from smooth, but she highlighted her returning as a major weakness in her performance.
"I really think I played um, I'm trying to think of a word that's not obscene... but that's pretty much how I played," she told a media conference.
"Eighty-eight unforced errors is too much, just way too many. It's a lot. I can't expect to win hitting that many errors. I couldn't get used to the wind; my opponent was playing in the same conditions, and maybe the wind was more suited for her game, but it was really annoying me for whatever reason.
"I felt good [after the second set], but I never got in my rhythm, I didn't hit any returns in the vicinity of the court. I think I probably have never returned like that in my life so a little frustrating, especially since I worked so hard in the off-season, but at least the conditions won't be like this in Melbourne.
"She obviously did a much better job than I did. I really abhorred the conditions. I don't think I've ever hit 88 errors in my career; I could Google that and that's probably accurate. So there's no need to look back on such a crappy game!"