Serena Williams lamented her shot selection on Saturday but was quick to heap praise on Angelique Kerber, who defeated her for the Australian Open championship.
Despite a late rally, Williams was well below her best in match that saw Kerber, in her first Grand Slam final, win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
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Six-time Australian Open champion Williams struggled early, with 23 of her 46 unforced errors in the opening set. Kerber had 13 unforced errors for the entire match.
And speaking to reporters afterwards, Williams said: "I was missing a lot off the ground, coming to the net.
"She kept hitting some great shots actually every time I came in. I think I kept picking the wrong shots coming into it.
"But it's something to learn from, just to try to get better.
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"I think I did the best I could today. You know, would I give myself an A? No. But today this is what I could produce today.
"Maybe tomorrow I could produce something different. But that's all I can go off."
Kerber became the first German since Steffi Graf in 1999 to win a slam. Williams lost an Aussie final for the first time.
Kerber was the tournament's seventh seed. The most recent No. 7 to win at Melbourne had been Williams in 2005.
"I was actually really happy for her. She's been around a really long time," Williams said. "We've had a number of matches. I've beaten her a lot.
"She played so well today. She had an attitude that I think a lot of people can learn from: just to always stay positive and to never give up.
"I was really inspired by that. So, honestly, she's a really good girl. If I couldn't win, I'm happy she did."