"I'm in shock, I can't believe it" - When Venus Williams was left disappointed by her unexpected Australian Open upset to Lisa Raymond

Venus Williams won seven Grand Slam singles titles in her career, but none came at the Australian Open. Her best result in Melbourne was a runner-up finish, which she managed in 2003 and 2017.

With mostly below-par runs Down Under, the American faced more of the same in 2004, the year after she lost to her sister Serena Williams in the final. Seeded No. 3, the elder Williams went out in the third round, falling 4-6, 6-7(5) in straight sets to compatriot Lisa Raymond.

Speaking at her press conference afterward, the former World No. 1 admitted that she was shocked by the loss, especially as she came into the tournament with high hopes. At the same time, she pointed out that Raymond played better than her, and deserved to win on the day.

"I'm pretty much in shock. I still can't believe it. But that's the way I feel after every loss - whether I've been off or on or what have you. It's definitely going to settle in this evening. It will be like, "No!" That's the way it is," Venus Williams said.

"You win some, you lose some. I definitely had a lot of high hopes to do well here, and of course ultimately to win. But the best player will, whoever that is. Unfortunately, it wasn't me in this fortnight," she added.

Williams, however, promised to look into the mistakes she made in the clash, and use it to better arm herself in the future.

"I just would like to do well, that's all. There's definitely a lot of things I could work on. But it's nice that I'll have a break and get ready for the next event," she said.

Raymond went on to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to Patty Schnyder in straight sets.

"My feet were very bad today" - Venus Williams on her display in Australian Open 2004 exit

Rothesay Classic Birmingham - Day Three - Source: Getty

Speaking at the press conference, Venus Williams revealed that just looking at Lisa Raymond's warm-up, she knew her opponent was going to play well. By contrast, the seven-time Grand Slam champion highlighted how poor her footwork was, paving the way for the loss.

"Just even from the warm-up, I was thinking, "She's going to play well today," just from the way she's hitting in the warm-up. My feet, I couldn't get them to go," Venus Williams said.

"My feet were very bad today. Especially at my height, I can't have bad feet and still play well. So that was tough. But she played good. She had a lot of shots rockin' and rollin' today. It was nice for her," she added.

With Venus Williams out, Justine Henin went on to win the 2004 Australian Open, beating compatriot Kim Clijsters in the final. Defending champion Serena Williams, meanwhile, withdrew ahead of the tournament due to a knee injury.