Emma Raducanu said she was “struggling with everything” after losing to world No. 30 Angelina Kalinina in the first round of the Qatar Open in Doha.
The British player played well below average in a one-sided first set, hitting 15 unforced errors to two from his Ukrainian opponent.
In the much more competitive second leg, she saved two match points but Kalinina won 6-0, 7-6 (8-6).
“I was struggling with everything: serve, return, forehand, backhand,” the 21-year-old told Sky Sports.
“I felt like I didn’t get into it at all.”
The former US Open champion is in the early stages of his return after missing most of 2023 after undergoing surgery on both hands and left ankle.
She won one match in Auckland in her first tournament back, reached the second round at the Australian Open and defeated world No. 36 Marie Bouzkova in Abu Dhabi last week.
But that win was followed by a crushing loss to second-seeded Ons Jabour, another early exit for her, who was awarded another wild card this week in Qatar.
Raducanu had a set point on her serve at 6-5 with a second set break, but Karinina saved it and won the next two points to seal the victory.
The Briton had 48 unforced errors, while Kalinina, who will next face eighth seed Jelena Ostapenko, had 22 unforced errors.
“It was a combination of things,” Raducanu said.
“It was the first day match I’ve played in the past year and it’s different.
“I need to practice training outside a little bit more. The light, the conditions, the shadows…I realized towards the end that it was really difficult to see the ball.
“When your tennis isn't going well, you have to at least try to fight, and I did that in the second set.”
Raducanu said he plans to return home after several consecutive weeks on tour, but needs to “adjust the tournament schedule a little more.”
“I just struggled with timing the ball,” she said. “There will be more time for practice as well as games.
“It's hard to get used to the tour schedule, one tournament followed immediately by another.
“We have to try to adjust the tournament schedule a little bit more so we can get in more games.”
Also on Monday, the four-time major champion Naomi Osaka Won against opponent in the first round with a draw of 7-5, 6-4 caroline garcia French.
Osaka, 26, made her Grand Slam comeback at the Australian Open in January after giving birth last year, but was defeated in the first round by Garcia, 30.
In Doha, the Japanese fell behind 5-3 in the first set before 15th-seeded Garcia faltered, giving Osaka a chance to rally and win her fourth straight match to seal the set.
On the other hand, Belarusians victoria azarenka Won the tournament twice, defeating Poland Magdalena Fletch 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the opening game.
Unseeded Osaka will next face Croatia's Petra Martic, while Azarenka will face China's Wang Xinyu.
In the second round, Poland's world No. 1 and top seed Iga Swiatek wiped out Romanian stuff Sorana Cirstea 6-1 6-1 in just over an hour.