Johanna Konta will walk on to Centre Court at Wimbledon on Monday afternoon for the first time, and across the net will be the ice-cold stare of Maria Sharapova, the hands-down toughest player in women’s tennis.
That is some way for Britain’s in-form women’s player, ranked 126 in the world and a wildcard here, to announce her arrival to a TV audience of millions on the game’s most sacred court, just after Novak Djokovic begins the defence of the men’s title against Philipp Kohlschreiber.
She has lost here in the first round for the past three years but this really is the big stage. She is known to keen followers of the game but less so to casual fans: born in Sydney 24 years ago to Hungarian parents and a resident of the UK for nine years, she is a big music fan who listens to Van Morrison, Florence and the Machine and Maroon 5 when she has the time. But she had to catch her words when she said: “It is just another tournament …”
Konta added quickly: “Obviously it’s Wimbledon and that’s beyond exciting but the season is much longer than just this. I am looking forward to the fact that I get to play Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon. I don’t think too many people can string those words into the same sentence.”
Would she let Sharapova’s tic-driven mannerisms and maddening delaying ploys get to her? No. “That’s where I need to focus on myself,” she said. “There are always going to be distractions, push and shove between players. It’s about rolling with the punches and enjoying every situation, good or bad.”
Konta first heard of Sharapova in 2003 when the Russian reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova. “I was at [Nick] Bollettieri’s for a little camp and I remember hearing her name, the year before she won the main event here [beating Serena Williams in the final]. I was about 10 or 11, so not very aware.”
Although the closest she has got to Wimbledon’s main stage – apart from watching a bit of a Sharapova match from the stands last year – is Court 12, she seems comfortable in the spotlight.
“I am [confident]. The sun is shining I have got two hands, two feet, I have got food in my belly,” she said. “Presenting a calm demeanourand having the thought process I am having is in constant progress. It is not just something that I work on for my tennis career, but something that is going to be helpful and useful for me for the rest of my life. It’s a safe bet most players would get nervous before a match. I do too, but it’s more excitement and more just wanting to get going, and I feel the same. I’m very proud of my achievements, whatever they will be.
“Ultimately I play for myself and I take responsibility for my own actions. We’ll see on the day how good that is. My feet are very firmly on the ground. I am not getting carried away with my performances last week and in the previous weeks.”
Konta has had a lot of quality time on grass since the French Open – where she reached the main draw as a qualifier before losing in the first round – beating the world No8, Ekaterina Makarova, and No20, Garbiñe Muguruza, in Eastbourne last week, by far the best results of her career, before losing in the quarter-finals to the eventual champion Belinda Bencic.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to get three wildcards into three main draw WTA events through the LTA,” Konta said. “I had already won three matches in qualifying at the French Open, and I’ve been healthy this year, which has given me the opportunity to compete as much as I wanted to.”
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