Johanna Konta wins Roland Garros match for first time in career
Johanna Konta registered her career first Roland Garros win on Monday morning. The 6-4 6-4 match against Germany’s Antonia Lottner allowed the British athlete to advance to the next round of the French Open, an achievement she hadn’t managed during her four previous participations.
However, the World No. 26 did not seem to think much of it, “No, I think it was a bigger deal to you guys [the journalists] than it was to me, to be honest.
But, I mean, obviously I'm pleased to have come through that match. It's nice to have won a main-draw match here. That's obviously nice. But I didn't really look at it too much like that. I think I was just, more than anything, happy to have dealt with the challenges of today.
And she was a tricky player to play. And, yeah, overall just pleased to have come through.”
When asked if she had been distracted by something at the beginning of the match, because she addressed the umpire, Konta clarified, “Oh, no. I was asking where the player box was. I didn't know where Dimitri and Jackson were sitting, so I was asking for the player box. Which he didn't know where it was but then I saw them because he was wearing a bright yellow top, so easy enough.”
“Well, I mean, most players I would think, you always look to see where your team is,” she added. “Mainly to look at them for support or just so I knew where they were.”
When the conversation was directed on Dimitri Zavialoff, the British explained how she feels working with Stan Wawrinka’s former coach, “I'd like to think he doesn't have the title of a new coach anymore. We have been together for a little over half a year now. End of October last year. So it's been a little bit of time.
Like I have said, I'm just really enjoying the work that we are doing. I really bought into his philosophy and his vision because it's something that I see for myself, as well.
So I think when you're able to work with whoever is in your team quite harmoniously like that, I think that always, whether people agree with the direction or not, that always helps with just being on the same page and I think makes things more productive.
I'm just overall happy with the work we are doing altogether.”
Zavialoff’s philosophy, which according to Konta could be resumed in “Just giving me the freedom and the space to express myself on court, to just be a bit more autonomous,” seems to work nicely for the British, as she has recently made an outstanding run in Rome Open, only stopped by champion Karolina Pliskova from grabbing her first WTA title.
Konta will now face Lauren Davis, but this season has proved fruitful for her, and if she had to choose one thing that has propelled her to such a good game level, she’d have a hard time, “One thing [smiling]? I mean, like always, it's a combination of things, but if anything, I think having acceptance this year. I thought I have been practicing that well in the matches that I'm playing.
I think I'm accepting when there is longer points, accepting when there is shorter points. I think just generally not trying to really force something to happen. I think I'm just a bit more malleable, accepting in what's happening in matches.”
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2Wbx2mI
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