Deep disappointment and perhaps a couple of beers is how Ashleigh Barty is coping with her surprising Wimbledon loss.
American Alison Riske converted all four break points snapping world No. 1 Barty's 15-match winning streak with a stunning 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, upset to roar into her first major quarterfinal at Wimbledon.
More: Riske Stuns No. 1 Barty at Wimbledon
"It's incredibly tough right now," Barty told the media afterward. "But in saying that, it's also only a tennis match. I try to do everything I can to win the tennis match. If I don't, the sun is still going to come up tomorrow.
"I have an incredible team of people around me who love me and support me and are with me through this journey. It's easy to go back now and chat to them about it. There are so many things we wish we had done. The what ifs. That's not what we try to focus on that. We focus on the positives. The positives of what have been over the last two months, last six months, and for this year, it's been incredible.
"Today wasn't my day, but that's not going to define us as a team, it's not going to define me as a person. I think that's the most important thing."
Suffering her first loss since bowing to qualifier Kristina Mladenovic in the Rome round of 16 in May, Barty could lose her world No. 1 ranking to Karolina Pliskova if the third-ranked Czech reaches the Wimbledon final.
"It's out of my control," Barty said of potentially losing No. 1. "We've done absolutely everything. I'm so proud of myself and my team over the last six to eight weeks. We've had an incredible trip, incredible couple of months.
"Yeah, I mean, that's out of my control now. If Karolina plays some good tennis, gets to that, then she'll deserve it. No fighting that."
The reigning Roland Garros champion said she has no regrets over her preparation for The Championships.
"Absolutely no regrets," Barty said. "We've planned our days and prepared as best that we can. Today wasn't my day. I didn't win a tennis match. It's not the end of the world. It's a game. I love playing the game. I do everything in my power to try and win every single tennis match. But that's not the case."
The 23-year-old Aussie has celebrated some of her monumental wins this year with a beer. Asked how she'll cope with this defeat, Barty replied: "There might be a beer or two."
Photo credit: Getty