I should have stayed at home, says Serena

Tearful former Wimbledon champion Serena Williams admitted she wished she had “stayed at home” instead of attempting to reclaim her crown.

Williams crashed out of the tournament against unfancied fellow American Jill Craybas on court two last night due to Andy Murray’s headline act against David Nalbandian.

And two-time winner Williams was surprisingly beaten 6-3 7-6 by the world number 85 in the fading light, the third-round clash ending at 9.05pm.

Williams was in tears in her post-match press conference and claimed she should not have played in the championships at all.

“I think I was better off staying home to be honest,” said Williams, who did not play in the French Open due to an ankle injury.

“I just didn’t play well today. The other matches I played through and got better. Today I didn’t do anything right. I kept making errors.

“She didn’t have to do anything exceptionally well, she pretty much just had to show p. I couldn’t win a service game in the first set and then it was just downhill from there.”

When asked to sum up her performance, Williams said: “Horrible. The only ones I could use are foul. I can’t use those words. I’ve never been one to lose well. I hate to waste time and I worked hard the last week or so.

“I’m used to winning these kind of matches. It’s hard when you can’t make a shot and you’ve been making them for years.

“It’s important for me to practise harder, I’ve been all about playing but I think I’m going to have to do a little more practising.”

It was the fourth seed’s worst performance at the All England Club since her debut in 1998, when she also went out in the third round and it prevented her from facing elder sister Venus in the last 16 on Monday.

The 23-year-old world number one looked like forcing the match into a deciding set when she twice fought back from a break down in the second set to force a tie-break.

Williams then took a 2-0 lead but lost the next five points in a row as Craybas, beaten in qualifying at Eastbourne last week, refused to buckle under the pressure.

Two points on her serve saw Williams reduce the deficit to 5-4 but her 30-year-old opponent coolly served out to complete the biggest win of her career.

Craybas, who lost to Williams on Centre Court two years ago, said: “It feels great, I’m not sure if it has hit me yet. I felt calm and confident the whole time.

“The win is absolutely fantastic. The two previous times I played her I don’t think I really believed I could beat her. Believing you belong out there on the court is something I’ve been working on.”