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Today’s “reveille” wasn’t certainly the most confortable ever for the fans as well as for our Sara Errani, who was sadden by the final score of the first round of play of the Australian Open 2016.

In the beginning Sarita rushed out of the starting blocks using her best game over the Moscow native Margarita Gasparyan – currently n.60 in the world rankings – and pleasing the loudest and proud Italian fans cheering on Court 6’s bleachers with a stunning 6-1. Despite the partial score, the young Russian tried to fight her way back into the match as the second set started, but our warrior – even thought already feeling a pain in her right gluteus – successfully managed to block her offensive and took a 4-3 lead thanks to a break.

Unfortunately, as both girls were headed through the final rush, there came an unexpected and non-welcomed key player – just like Sara herself told us during the post-match press conference:

“I started to feel nervous even before yesterday. I felt an unbearable pressure, which I really do not know how to explain, and I could not help but take it with me on court. I felt better at first but then it showed up again and I started to play very badly.

I suffered a stab in the gluteus since the first point of the match and it got worse around the half of the second set; plus I could not manage the pressure and resulted in getting even more tense and tired. That is why I had got very few energies left in the third set. I wasn’t ready nor relaxed. It depends on lots of factors I guess, you can feel it more or less depeding on every week. Also, the more you care, the more it might work against yourself.”

Putting today behind, Sara will have a full day of rest to collect her energy back for the first round of doubles, when she will face the USA duo – Racquel Atawo and Abigail Spears – with Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez to her side.