‘Miserable’ O’Brien weighs up future

The British No5, from Hessle, crumbled 6-0 7-5 to her 40-year-old opponent on Court Three. The first-set humiliation lasted a mere 17 minutes.

Defeat marked the seventh time that O’Brien has failed to make the second round of the Championships in eight attempts.

The 25-year-old ended 2009 ranked 88th in the world but has suffered a tumble in the standings and is set to plummet even lower than her current position of 215th after yesterday.

She admits she will struggle to earn the wild card she will probably need to enter next year’s tournament, and concedes she may have to walk away from the game if her form does not improve.

When asked whether she planned to return for a ninth crack at Wimbledon, O’Brien said: “I hope so. It’s no fun at the moment, though, so I would have to be prepared to make some big improvements if I’m going to continue what I’m doing.”

O’Brien may concentrate more on studying for a business studies degree with the Open University if her current poor form continues.

“Because I’m also academically quite able, there are actually other things I could do,” the Yorkshire player said.

“I’m not enjoying life on the Challenger Tour at the moment. It’s no fun.”

O’Brien, who last made the second round four years ago, received good support from the home crowd on the new court, but failed to respond, double-faulting three times on her way to a first set whitewash.

Despite being 15 years her senior, Date-Krumm had the measure of the O’Brien throughout the match, with her aggressive serve-and-volley tactics proving too much for the British hope.

O’Brien hopes to pick herself up quickly from the defeat but was bitterly disappointed not to put up more of a challenge despite an improved second-set display.

“Obviously it is disappointing. In the first set I was completely outplayed,” O’Brien said. “But I know that second set was within my grasp. Any tennis match you lose you’re disappointed, so I’ll probably be a little bit miserable for the next couple of hours.

“I’ve got a lot of friends and family down with me, so hopefully they’ll help me snap out of it. But if I want to get better as a player, obviously I have to analyse what went wrong and what I could have done better in the match.”

Today’s action sees Heather Watson face France’s Mathilde Johansson, on Court Three, while Naomi Broady and Anne Keothavong contest the match which guarantees a British winner in the opening match on Court 12, after rain yesterday prevented them from getting on court.

British No 1 Elena Baltacha is also on Court 12 duty against Mona Barthel while, on Court 14, Emily Webley-Smith will take on Klara Zakopalova from the Czech Republic.