She was many people's tip for the title, but there was always a sneaking suspicion that nerves would get the better of Amelie Mauresmo in her home Grand Slam.

She has never looked relaxed at Roland Garros and her appearance in the fourth round last year was her best effort to date.

Nonetheless it was still a huge surprise that she lost to the unheralded Jana Kandarr who reached the semi-final in Estoril in April, but has otherwise failed to get past the second round in any tournament this year.

She began by announcing she was happy to field questions in English, French or German, and continued in the same confident manner.

When asked at what point she thought she had a chance of winning, without hesitation she replied, "From the beginning".

"I've played her once and I've beaten her once - she plays with a lot of spin so I could attack and I could tell she was nervous."

There are many tennis players who have been through the coaching system since they could first hold a racquet.

But Kandarr is not among them - the 26-year-old did not start to play tennis properly until she was a teenager.

"I hadn't played when I was really young - until I was 14 I grew up in East Germany with a wall around the country so I didn't even think about playing.

"Nobody plays in East Germany - at 14 was the first time I had a coach and started to play every day.

"If you start when you're older, you think about it more and I think it's harder.

But Kandarr has no complaints about her childhood which she said was a happy one.

But there is one area where she feels her mother did let her down.

"I can't understand why I'm so slow around the court when my mother was a sprinter."

For France's golden girl Mauresmo it was a huge disappointment.

And she admitted the pressure got to her.

"I have to adjust to that new situation, with big expectation in a Grand Slam like the French Open," said Mauresmo who has won four times this season and was a strong favourite for the title.

"I have to learn how to handle this.

"I never really got into the match, I never felt that I could relax.

"It's not an easy thing to put into words, but there's a feeling of powerlessness - in fact you feel as though you're being overwhelmed."