Top Asian player Na Li of China has blamed her semifinal loss to Sania Mirza on noisy Indian supporters at the Doha Asian Games while praised the Hyderabadi for playing well.
The world number 21 Li, who lost to 66th ranked Sania in the women's singles semifinal on Tuesday, said she was used to playing in a comparatively quiet circumstances.
"The loud cheer from the Indian supporters affected a lot," she was quoted as saying by the China Youth Daily.
Chinese women's tennis team head coach Jiang Hongwei told the paper that Li's defeat was not due to playing skills, but the "loss of morale and determination to fight till the end".
He also admitted to be bitter about the losses, saying Chinese players were "fragile" and "irresponsible."
Li, who committed 27 unforced errors, said she needed a professional coach to guide her at this level.
"As a professional player I should have my own professional coach to instruct. But I don't have one till now," she said.
Li also acknowledged Sania's excellent performance.
"She just played really, really well and there was nothing I could do about it," said 24-year-old, who made history for Chinese by reaching last eight at Wimbledon this year.
"She deserved to win," Li was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency, which praised Sania and pointed out that she "played some of the best tennis of her career by defeating top seed Li Na."
