Dan Evans blamed some "tough" scheduling after he was rolled over by Roger Federer at the US Open.
The British No 2 was on the end of a 6-2 6-2 6-1 hiding in just an hour and 20 minutes, the quickest match of the tournament so far.
Evans felt hard done by being first up on Arthur Ashe court, having finished his rain-delayed second-round match against Lucas Pouille less than 24 hours earlier.
There was even a suggestion world No 3 Federer had requested the early slot, but the Swiss angrily said he was "sick and tired" of such claims.
Evans admitted: "He was too good. Obviously I didn't play my best, but he got on top of me early and it was difficult.
"I was fatigued, as well. I thought it was pretty tough I was first up after playing yesterday, if I'm being brutally honest.
"Him being totally fresh and me, you know, battling yesterday, I didn't get out of here until probably going on 6pm... just complete polar opposites, isn't it?
"And to try to beat him feeling tired, stiff, playing four sets yesterday, it's near on impossible. But do you think a guy who's my ranking has any say in that?
"There are probably about four people in this tournament who have a say when they play. Maybe three."
It was not difficult to pinpoint which three players Evans was referring to. Federer had, of course, been unaffected by the rain when playing his second-round match under the roof on Wednesday.
But the five-time Flushing Meadows champion said: "That doesn't mean like, 'Roger asks, Roger gets'.
"Just remember that, because I have heard this s*** too often now. I'm sick and tired of it, that apparently I call the shots. The tournament and the TV stations do.
"We can give our opinion. That's what we do. But I'm still going to walk out even if they schedule me at four o'clock in the morning."