There is a tendency in the British media to heavily over-hype any home talent playing even remotely well. That is no different for Johanna Konta. There has been growing intrigue around her for a number of years and a large assumption that she is one of the best grass court players around.
The reality though is that before this year her record on grass has not been as strong as you might expect. Obviously the tricky part with Konta is that her meteoric rise over the last couple of years means the data has to be comparative to her ranking at the time. Given her game is perfectly suited to grass though there are some mixed results on her scorecard.
Struggles at Wimbledon for Johanna Konta
First and foremost, she has never made it past the second round at Wimbledon. In fact, she has only won once in six visits to the tournament. That came last year against Monica Puig. Her second round defeat in 2016 to Eugenie Bouchard was disappointing given the comparative form of the two. Previous defeats to Maria Sharapova, Shuai Peng, Jelena Jankovic and Christina McHale are more forgivable given she was the lower ranked player every time.
Regardless of how she has done at other grass court tournaments, failure at Wimbledon often equates to a failed grass court season in the eyes of the British public. Despite their intentions, they can be a cruel and cynical bunch.
She does hold some impressive scalps on grass. In 2015 she caused a huge upset over Garbine Muguruza and the following year claimed a three set win over Petra Kvitova. But losses to the lower ranked Kristyna Pliskova and Yanina Wickmayer last year undo a lot of that hard work. It’s one thing causing big upsets but they need to be backed up.
Johanna Konta Impresses in Run to Nottingham Final
For the first time in her career though, it looks as if Johanna Konta has firmly got to grips with her home surface. Building on her remarkable twelve months since the last grass court season, Konta has looked imperious in Nottingham. Four matches played, no sets dropped as well as a run to the doubles semi-final alongside partner Yanina Wickmayer. For British fans, there might be genuine reasons to be optimistic, rather than the usual hyperbole.
Konta appears to have discovered how to effectively use her game on grass. With heavy, flat groundstrokes and the ability to get low to the ball with her flawless agility her game is penetrative. Backed up with a powerful serve she has simply blown her opponents off of the court so far.
Halting the eight match winning streak of Magdalena Rybarikova was extremely impressive at the Aegon Open quarter-final. Two round previously she beat Yanina Wickmayer, avenging last year’s disappointing defeat in Birmingham. Ashleigh Barty was another casualty of Konta’s racket, as was Tara Moore. All four of these players are superb on the grass but Konta has made them look amateurish. There is no doubt she has figured out how to translate her physical game to the surface.
Could Johanna Konta’s mental fortitude be her most important asset?
Probably Konta’s strongest asset is her focus and intensity on court. Given that she has the weight of expectation from British fans on her shoulders, strength in this department is pivotal if she is to achieve a successful grass court season. If you were to assess her on this alone, you would say she was a guaranteed Grand Slam champion.
Johanna Konta has been able to get away in the past with some disappointing grass court results. Her lack of notoriety in Britain has given her a big of a free pass. As a consistent top-10 player though and with more and more people discovering who she is, she has to deliver on the grass. If her performances in Nottingham are anything to go by, it could be a very successful summer for the British #1.
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