Jack Draper conceded that his defeat to Marin Cilic in the second round at Wimbledon was "one of the toughest losses" he has experienced in his career.
Draper became another high-profile seed to fall in the early stages of the penultimate major of the season after Cilic earned a stunning 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 victory on Thursday.
His defeat means 36 seeds across the men's and women's draws have been eliminated, with this year's Wimbledon having the fewest seeds in any third round of a major since the 32-seed format began back in 2001.
There were huge expectations around the 23-year-old heading into this year's grass-court grand slam, having risen to number four in the world rankings to become the highest-ranked British seed since Andy Murray in 2017 (number one).
And while Draper insists he did not buckle under the weight of those demands, he acknowledged there were areas for improvement, particularly on the surface in SW19.
"I'm very frustrated. Obviously, really upset. Probably one of the toughest losses I feel," Draper said.
"I thought Cilic played an incredible match from start to finish. Didn't let up. He deserved the win. But it hurts a lot.
"It's highlighted to me this year that I really struggled on the grass in all honesty.
"I felt great on the hard and clay. There weren't many holes in my game – whereas as soon as I came onto the grass, I felt a big difference.
"It's just something I've got to keep in mind, how I'm going to develop my game for the long-term for next year. Just to get better as a player.
"For sure, it highlighted a lot of weaknesses in my game."
Draper also took the time to praise two-time champion Murray for his "unbelievable" displays at Wimbledon during his playing career.
Murray, who retired in August last year, ended a 77-year wait for a British winner at the All England Club with a straight-sets victory over Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final.
He then scooped the title again three years later, with Draper conceding he has a long way to go before reaching the levels of the Scot.
"I mean it makes me think that Andy's achievement of what he did, winning here twice, is just unbelievable," Draper added.
"It's not the pressure. I just didn't play well enough. I lost to a better player. I just wasn’t able to find the level I wanted. I came up short.
"The hole in my forehand showed up. I wasn't able to deal with his pace of balls into my forehand. I was over-spinning a lot.
"I've still got a lot of areas that I need to improve in my game.
"There's a bit of a misconception, just because I’m a six-foot, four-inch lefty, I must be incredible on grass. I haven't had loads of experience on it."
