A combination of Dutch power and a pulled stomach muscle saw Josh Goodall's dreams of making the Wimbledon second round end in tatters.
The 20-year old from Basingstoke went down 6-4 7-5 7-5 in front of a packed crowd on court 17, a result made all the more disappointing by the fact that opponent Melle Van Gemerden was playing on grass for the very first time.
But afterwards Goodall revealed that the muscle he had damaged during his final Wimbledon qualifying match at Roehampton last week had returned to haunt him, hampering his service action throughout.
"It was only a slight tear, nothing too bad, but today it meant I couldn't serve at anything like 100 per cent," he told the Southern Daily Echo. "I was more like at 50 per cent, and my serve is usually my biggest weapon.
"It was going through my head the whole time, right from the start. It's depressing playing like that especially at this level, when you've fought so hard to get here. But there was just nothing I could do. It's bitterly disappointing. You want to do yourself justice, but you can't."
Despite the injury Goodall started well, holding his first service game to love with two aces in the process. However it soon became clear that his movement was being restricted, something the experienced Van Gemerden didn't take long to pick up on.
Backed up a sizeable contingent of Dutch supporters, the 27-year old broke serve four times throughout and delivered a series of devastating passing shots, making his struggling opponent run at every opportunity.
The fact that Goodall managed to win only 40 per cent of his second service points tells its own story.
Now Goodall faces a dilemma over whether to withdraw from the mens' doubles competition, in which he has joined forces with fellow Brit Ross Hutchins. The pair are due to face Olivier Rochus of Belgium and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in the first round.
"It's obviously something I've got to talk to my partner about. I can still play. I just can't serve to my full potential, but I'd like to give it a go. It's not every day you get to play at Wimbledon."
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