Victoria Azarenka has admitted that she was nowhere near match fit during Friday's loss to Lauren Davis in Indian Wells.
The third seed, who had not played competitively since exiting the Australian Open in January, was beaten 6-0 7-6 by the unseeded American.
Azarenka's preparation for the match had been far from ideal. She returned to the practice court less than one week ago, after spending the best part of a month wearing a protective boot on an injured foot.
"Basically all I had was my fighting spirit today," Azarenka told reporters. "I wanted to give my best shot.
"Obviously it was maybe a little bit too early. But I gave a fight. I'm pretty proud of whatever I did today."
On her opponent, Azarenka added: "You also have to give her credit. In this situation it's not easy to close the match and she's done it."
Azarenka is a former champion in Indian Wells, having won the women's singles title in 2012.