Mayar Sherif, the first Egyptian woman to play in Grand Slam main draw, said the support received back home including from Liverpool star Mohamed Salah had given her extra incentive to help break down barriers for aspiring tennis players in the football-mad country.
World No 172 Sherif took the first set off second seed Karolina Pliskova in Tuesday's Roland Garros first round but could not sustain her challenge in a 6-7 (9/11), 6-2, 6-4 loss.
Sherif came through qualifying in Paris to join Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in the 128-player field, the first time two Arab women have contested the main draw of a major since 2002.
Despite an early exit Sherif, who began 2019 unranked after graduating from Pepperdine University in the US, insisted she had a "huge margin to improve".
Sherif said she hadn't personally been in touch with Salah but would welcome his advice as an Egyptian who has established himself on the global stage.
The 24-year old also offered some words encouragement of her own for Egyptian youngsters trying to carve out a future in tennis.
