The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has protested to the BBC about the interview with Anna Kournikova after she lost her first-round match at Wimbledon on Monday.

A visibly irritated Kournikova was unhappy with the line of questioning by BBC reporter Garry Richardson and threatened to leave.

The BBC aired the entire interview - including the part where Kournikova stood up and moved out of shot.

"We've had discussions with the BBC and said perhaps they could have been a little more sensitive to the player that lost," said WTA Tour spokesman Chris de Maria.

Too harsh

"Sometimes you have to take an extra pause to understand the sensitivities of the player that lost.

"We talked with Anna afterward. There was, I think, a legitimacy to her irritation to the way the questions were posed.

"They were probably being phrased a little more bit harshly than they needed to be.

"It's unfortunate that after she requested they start again, that they showed the entire thing from the start to finish."

Kournikova's behaviour sparked criticism from the BBC's expert summarisers.

Serious reassessment

"The last thing she needs is for her personality and whole reputation to have a big strike against it and obviously that interview didn't help," said Pam Shriver.

Former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe said Kournikova needed to take a long, hard look at where her career was heading.

"It's clear it's time for some serious reassessment," he said.

"Her nerves are shot, she has no confidence and she's not in shape."