Lucie Safarova has paid tribute to Serena Williams following her defeat to the American in the French Open final.
The world number 13 pushed Williams all the way during a dramatic encounter on Saturday before eventually losing in three sets.
Despite coming so close to clinching her maiden Grand Slam title, Safarova believes that the world number one was a worthy winner in the end.
"It has been a great two weeks here for me - so many emotions and great wins," she is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
"Serena - you were amazing today, you're a great fighter, so congratulations. Most importantly I had such great support from you fans. It is a great pleasure playing here and I promise I will work harder to get even better."
Safarova defeated the likes of Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic on her way to reaching the final.
