"The sushi in the players' restaurant is way better than last year," said a relaxed Wang Xinyu on Sunday, ahead of her fourth appearance in the women's singles main draw at the Wimbledon Championships.

"I also felt thrilled to play with the security dogs at Wimbledon the other day," Wang continued, when asked if she had any special experiences since arriving. "In previous years, I only met them when they were working, so I didn't dare to bother them. But this year when I attended Babolat's photo activity, I had the chance to meet them when they haven't started to work. They were really lovely."

The 23-year-old Chinese player recently reached her first WTA Tour final at the Berlin Open, defeating four top-20 players in a row. She returns to southwest London with fond memories, having reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time last year by stunning then-world No. 5 Jessica Pegula en route.

"The whole week was like a dream for me," Wang said of her run in Berlin. "As many top players signed up for the tournament, I had to start from the qualifiers. In my first match, I lost the opening set and was left behind in the second set. I was so close to a defeat at that moment."

"But I managed to hang on there and overcame the toughest challenge. Since then, I played better and better and my confidence was boosted for sure," she added.

Wang ultimately fell to former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in a grueling three-set final last Sunday.

"Of course I felt upset especially right after the match," said Wang. "I did have chances to win the final, but it's really hard to figure out how you could have done better in those key points. I think I should be happy for keep fighting all along and trying my best to play my tennis."

Wang said she has recharged and is ready for her first-round match at Wimbledon, where she will face 15th-seeded Czech Karolina Muchova on Tuesday.

"I'm glad to have the chance to play with such a great player," said Wang, who lost to the former French Open runner-up in their only previous meeting at the 2023 US Open. "I'm not thinking about winning a match or saving my points for the rankings. I just want to compete with a tough opponent so as to understand how far I'm behind or to test if I have made some progress."(huaxia)

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