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London - Petra Kvitova admitted her desire for a third Wimbledon title had left her a bag of nerves as the Czech star suffered a stunning Wimbledon first round exit.
Kvitova was the bookmakers' favourite to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish at the All England Club after an impressive return to form this year.
But the 28-year-old was beaten 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 by unheralded Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Tuesday.
Kvitova's early exit was especially surprising given she had won five titles in 2018, including the grass-court tournament at Birmingham last weekend, while amassing a WTA Tour-leading 38 match victories.
But eighth seed Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, revealed her burning desire to take another Grand Slam title had been her undoing against world number 50 Sasnovich.
"I'm sad. I wanted to win very badly, maybe too much. The nerves were there again. I just tried to kind of fight with myself," she said.
"Probably I was the biggest opponent I could have. I didn't really have a clear mind. I was thinking a little bit too much.
"Of course, the hand is not moving as easily as it should be, so I'm tight. I didn't move that well either.
"I think I didn't really care that much (about winning) before. I do care now. So, yeah, probably that's why."
It was another Grand Slam setback for Kvitova, who has gone out before the quarter-finals in five of her six appearances at the majors since returning to action following the horrific stabbing that derailed her career in 2016.
The knife attack had Kvitova's home left severe lacerations to all four fingers on her playing hand.
Kvitova conceded she feels extra pressure to play her best at Wimbledon after her past success and that had contributed to her collapse when she felt the Sasnovich match slipping away.
"Probably in Wimbledon it's a little bit more than the other Grand Slams because obviously I know I can play well," she said.
"But it is how it is. Yeah, I think it's the worst one.
"I think the worst pressure is in the first rounds, second rounds, and third rounds. After that it's fine."
Despite her defeat, Kvitova was actually in a light-hearted mood when she faced the media and she said that was because she still had such happy memories of Wimbledon.
"Anyway, I think I already won the biggest match here, so that's probably why I'm smiling," she added.
Sasnovich's reward for the best result of her career is a second round clash with American Taylor Townsend.
"It was good but I can play better. Probably I deserved it today," Sasnovich said after closing out the win with consecutive aces.
"I was just warming up when the score was 5-0 in the final set. I could have played one more match!"
Wimbledon results on Tuesday, the second day of the 2018 championships (x denotes seeded player):
Men
First round
Radu Albot (MDA) bt Pablo Carreño-Busta (ESP x20) 3-6, 6-0, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-1
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Dominic Thiem (AUT x7) 6-4, 7-5, 2-0 - retired
Karen Khachanov (RUS) bt David Ferrer (ESP) 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5
Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Márton Fucsovics (HUN) 7-5, 7-5, 6-3
Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP x30) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-3
Kyle Edmund (GBR x21) bt Alex Bolt (AUS) 6-2, 6-3, 7-5
Bradley Klahn (USA) bt Yuichi Sugita (JPN) 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2, 6-2
Horacio Zeballos (ARG) bt Guido Andreozzi (ARG) 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-4
Novak Djokovic (SRB x12) bt Tennys Sandgren (USA) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2
Nick Kyrgios (AUS x15) bt Denis Istomin (UZB) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (5/7), 6-3
Robin Haase (NED) bt Marius Copil (ROU) 7-6 (7/0), 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4)
Bernard Tomic (AUS) bt Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/2)
Kei Nishikori (JPN x24) bt Christian Harrison (USA) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2
Damir Džumhur (BIH x27) bt Maximilian Marterer (GER) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
Ernests Gulbis (LAT) bt Jay Clarke (GBR) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-4
Taylor Fritz (USA) bt Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Alexander Zverev (GER x4) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 7-5, 6-2, 6-0
Juan Martín Del Potro (ARG x5) bt Peter Gojowczyk (GER) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) bt Federico Del Bonis (ARG) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Benoît Paire (FRA) bt Jason Jung (TPE) 7-5, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4
Denis Shapovalov (CAN x26) bt Jérémy Chardy (FRA) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Matteo Berrettini (ITA) bt Jack Sock (USA x18) 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-5, 6-2
Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1
Stéphane Robert (FRA) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-1
Matthew Ebden (AUS) bt David Goffin (BEL x10) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Diego Schwartzman (ARG x14) bt Mirza Bašic (BIH) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1
Jirí Veselý (CZE) bt Florian Mayer (GER) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Simone Bolelli (ITA) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6), 6-1
Fabio Fognini (ITA x19) bt Taro Daniel (JPN) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Alex De Minaur (AUS) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA x29) 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) bt Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 6-3, 6-3, 6-2
Women
First round
Simona Halep (ROU x1) bt Kurumi Nara (JPN) 6-2, 6-4
Zheng Saisai (CHN) bt Wang Qiang (CHN) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) bt Ana Bogdan (ROM) 6-1, 3-6, 8-6
Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x30) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Johanna Konta (GBR x22) bt Natalia Vikhlyantseva (RUS) 7-5, 7-6 (9/7)
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) bt Alize Cornet (FRA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-1
Sachia Vickery (USA) bt Markéta Vondroušová (CZE) 6-1, 6-2
Elise Mertens (BEL x15) bt Danielle Collins (USA) 6-3, 6-2
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x12) bt Katy Dunne (GBR) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)
Sofia Kenin (USA) bt Maria Sakkari (GRE) 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) bt Maria Sharapova (RUS x24) 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4
Daria Gavrilova (AUS x26) bt Caroline Dolehide (USA) 6-2, 6-3
Samantha Stosur (AUS) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-4, 7-5
Taylor Townsend (USA) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-2, 6-4
Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x8) 6-4, 4-6, 6-0
Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP x3) bt Naomi Broady (GBR) 6-2, 7-5
Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 6-2, 6-2
Jennifer Brady (USA) bt Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 6-2, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2
Anett Kontaveit (EST x28) bt Denisa Allertová (CZE) 6-2, 6-2
Ashleigh Barty (AUS x17) bt Stefanie Vogele (SUI) 7-5, 6-3
Eugénie Bouchard (CAN) bt Gabriella Taylor (GBR) 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Magda Linette (POL) 6-3, 3-6, 10-8
Angelique Kerber (GER x11) bt Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 7-5, 6-3
Claire Liu (USA) bt Ana Konjuh (CRO) 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3
Katie Boulter (GBR) bt Verónica Cepede (PAR) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Naomi Osaka (JPN x18) bt Monica Niculescu (ROU) 6-4, 6-1
Carla Suárez (ESP x27) bt Carina Witthoeft (GER) 6-2, 6-4
Sara Sorribes (ESP) bt Kaia Kanepi (EST) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1
Alison Riske (USA) bt Mariana Duque (COL) 6-1, 6-1
Belinda Bencic (SUI) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA x6) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3
Vera Lapko (BLR) bt Christina McHale (USA) 5-7, 7-5, 7-5
