Former world No 4 Jelena Dokic made a dismal start on the comeback trail in the Auckland Classic women's tournament, lasting less than two hours before being beaten by unseeded German Julia Schruff in the first round.
She blamed nerves for her 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 defeat which included 50 unforced errors.
"I was very nervous and I was very tight and I think that contributed to the loss today," said the 22-year-old now ranked 376th.
"When I was up 6-5 in the second (set) and getting close to winning, I just got really nervous. I think that's just a lack of matches."
She also joked about her 28 double faults saying she was "getting close to (Anna) Kournikova".
Dokic served six consecutive faults at one point after an umpiring error led to two restarts.
Despite promising to enjoy her rekindled tennis career, the frustrations were clear as she left the court after giving up the third set in just 20 minutes.
"I was very scared of playing again because I haven't been in this position for a long time," she said.
{{/usCountry}}"I was very scared of playing again because I haven't been in this position for a long time," she said.
{{/usCountry}}Dokic, a wild card entry in Auckland, has only next week's Canberra International for match practice ahead of her first Australian Open since 2001.