Amanda Anisimova broke down in tears after becoming the first woman in more than 100 years to lose a Wimbledon singles final 6-0, 6-0.
The American was comforted by the Princess of Wales after being demolished in just 57 minutes on Centre Court by Iga Swiatek.
The 23-year-old had to leave court briefly after the match to console herself before returning to give a moving TV interview.
'I got so overwhelmed with emotion,' said Anisimova. 'I was trying to remind myself this is an incredible moment and not get overwhelmed by everything I was feeling. I tried to keep it together and swallow all the tears and speak from my heart.
'I just wanted to really take advantage of the moment, forget what had just transpired in the previous hour and acknowledge everything I've done the last two weeks and all the people that have helped me get there. It was tough to digest. It's not how I would have wanted my first Grand Slam final to go.
'I think I was a little bit in shock after. But I told myself, I'll definitely come back stronger. It's not an easy thing to go through, losing 6-0, 6-0 in a Grand Slam final. I think I was a bit frozen with my nerves, I was just really fatigued. I could feel it also in my warm-up this morning.
'If anything, I can look at it as a positive and something that I can look at as motivation.'
Swiatek had only once got past the third round at Wimbledon before this year, but her victory on Centre Court secured a sixth Grand Slam title.
The 'Queen of Clay', who also won the US Open in 2022, said: 'The emotions are bigger, because at Roland Garros I know that I can play well. I wasn't sure of that here. I needed to prove that to myself.'
