Emma Raducanu has admitted she felt "constant pressure" during her crushing 6-1 6-2 defeat to Iga Swiatek at the French Open.
The British number two was comprehensively outplayed by the four-time Roland Garros champion in a 79-minute contest that highlighted her ongoing struggles against elite opposition.
The world number 41 hit 17 unforced errors as she "went into her shell" against the fifth seed.
"You just don't really feel like there is that much space on the court, and certain moments you overhit," she admitted.
Emma Raducanu admitted to being under 'constant pressure' during her French Open defeat to Iga Swiatek
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"You just feel constant pressure."
Raducanu now holds a dismal 0-5 record against Swiatek, having never taken a set off the Polish star.
Her most recent encounter in Melbourne earlier this year proved equally devastating, with the Briton managing to win just one game in the entire match.
The suffocating nature of facing Swiatek was evident as Raducanu described the psychological impact.
"It kind of puts really a lot of pressure on from the beginning, makes me feel like I have to maybe do something extra or I just don't know what to do in the moment," she said.
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"It does shift the dynamics of the match a bit, and then it's very difficult to kind of stay with her as she grows in confidence."
Raducanu candidly acknowledged the gulf in class between herself and the sport's elite performers.
"There is a big difference as you go up into the top five and then playing Slam champions, it is a completely different ball game," she admitted.
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The British player has managed just one victory against a top-10 opponent this year, defeating eighth seed Emma Navarro en route to the Miami Open quarter-final.
"I definitely think, like, I can improve certain areas of my game to maybe make me feel like I have less holes," Raducanu said, though she declined to elaborate publicly on specific weaknesses she intends to address with her coaching team.
Despite the setback, Raducanu expressed optimism about her development on clay, particularly with her forehand.
"I feel like I have really worked on my forehand and it's become more and more of a weapon," she said.
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"Especially on clay actually, it has maybe helped, because I have a bit more time to set up and do a bit more and get it to jump."
The British star now faces a packed grass court schedule ahead of Wimbledon. She has entered the WTA 500 tournaments at Queen's and Berlin, plus the 250-point event in Eastbourne.
"It will be interesting to see on the grass, where it is very different and a lot lower, if it will be as good," Raducanu noted about her improved forehand's potential transition to the faster surface.
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