Johanna
Konta had Britain daring to dream when she surged through to the
Wimbledon semi-finals with a famous victory over second seed Simona
Halep last summer. But it was not to be her year as she succumbed to
a spirited defeat against the evergreen Venus Williams in the semis.
Optimism abounded in the aftermath of the tournament, which
catapulted Konta up to fourth in the ATP world rankings, and the
nation had a star to rally behind. However, the British number one
then suffered a dramatic dip in form and she has tumbled down the
world rankings. She is now 26 years old and should be approaching her
prime, but her chances of success this year are hanging in the
balance.
Amid
Andy Murray’s continuing injury woes – the three-time Grand Slam
winner had hip surgery earlier this year – Konta represents
Britain’s best chance of singles glory at Wimbledon this year. Kyle
Edmund is an intriguing prospect, but he lacks polish right now,
while Heather Watson is a long way off challenging for big
tournaments, so it is down to Konta to fly the flag. She has all the
weapons to mix it with the best in the business, and she has beaten
several leading stars during her career.
Konta
benefits from a massive serve, a powerful forehand with plenty of
topspin and an aggressive backhand. She attacks from the baseline,
but she is also pretty strong defensively and covers the court well.
She was clearly suffering a mental block towards the end of 2017:
after crashing out in the quarter-finals in Toronto at the start of
her hard court swing she lost in the first round at four straight
tournaments. That caused Konta to drop out of the world’s top eight
and fail to make the ATP World Finals, and it evoked memories of the
anxiety and collapses that blighted her early career.
After
much soul searching, the Brit parted
ways with long-standing coach Wim Fissette and
announced she would not compete again that season. She returned this
year determined to start afresh after hiring a new coach,
Michael Joyce, who guided Maria Sharapova to an extremely successful
spell between 2004 and 2011. Any fans hoping for an immediate
improvement from a galvanised player were to be disappointed as she
was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International
and the first round of the Sydney International. She could only make
it to the second round of this year’s first Grand Slam, the
Australian Open, where she lost to world number 123 Bernarda Pera.
Despite
the dismal result, Joyce is encouraged by what he has seen from Konta
and believes she has what it takes to win a Grand Slam. “When the
opportunity came up with Jo I knew right off the bat she’s a
contender to get to the top,” he said. “She’s proven that,
she’s gotten pretty close.” He added that a few years ago only
three of four women were capable of winning a big tournament, but
that right now there are more than 20 in the mix, and that Konta has
the talent to usurp them all.
Serena
Williams has dominated in recent years, but she is now 36 – a ripe
old age in tennis – and has been out after giving birth. That has
left the women’s game wide open, and surprise Grand Slam winners
such as Sloane Stephens and Jelena Ostapenko have emerged. Unlike the
men’s game, where Roger Federer dominates, the women’s is full of
intrigue and excitement right now. Konta could well exploit the chaos
and claim a famous victory at one of the three remaining Slams this
year.
Grass
is her favourite surface and Wimbledon looks like her best chance of
success. If you check the sports
spread betting markets and
fixed odds lines you will see that there is a shorter price on her
winning at SW19 than either the French Open or the Australian. She
has never had any joy on clay and has never been past the first round
at Roland Garros, so you can write that one off. Her meltdown in
North America last year is still fresh in the memory, so Wimbledon,
where she will be roared on by partisan crowds, offers her clearest
route to glory. Top coaches like Fissette and Joyce would not work
with her if they were not convinced of her potential, and she clearly
has the ability to win a Grand Slam one day.
However,
the field will be extremely strong at Wimbledon this year. Previous
winners Garbine Muguruza and Petra Kvitova will be dangerous, while
Halep looks destined to claim a maiden Grand Slam soon. Angelique
Kerber - now coached by Fissette - is in strong form, as is Karolina
Pliskova, and Sharapova is always a formidable prospect. By then
Serena Williams could well be back in business too, and if she
can win
a Slam while pregnant she
can certainly win on her comeback.
It
will take time for the partnership between Konta and Joyce to
flourish, and Wimbledon 2018 might be too soon for her. This could be
the year that Konta wins her first Grand Slam, but right now it is
looking highly unlikely.
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