Konta: Wimbledon SF was big but I want to go one step further

ROEHAMPTON, England -- Johanna Konta says she is looking forward to getting back to her best in 2018.

The British No.1 enjoyed a superb start to 2017, winning the Sydney Open in January, following it up with the Miami Open title in March.

However, after reaching her maiden Wimbledon semifinal in July, she suffered a dip in form which saw her narrowly miss out on a place at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

The 26-year-old has acknowledged that she was exhausted at the end of a long season but is looking forward to finding her highest level again in 2018.

“I was carrying a bit of an injury and I was burnt out a little bit so it was a combination,” she told WTATennis.com.

“It was a great opportunity for me to take some time off. It had been a full-on two years for me, something that was a new experience. 

“I was very excited to be back on court when I landed in Brisbane and I’m really enjoying being back.

“I had a lot of highlights in 2017 but definitely didn’t end the year as I would have liked. 

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me to build on things, to find a good level but most importantly to compete well and stay healthy and play a full season.

“Wimbledon is definitely a massive highlight in my career in terms of the atmosphere and the fact that I had such a great run in a Slam, my home Slam. 

“In that sense it definitely was a big achievement. But I want to go one step further.”

Another intense grasscourt season beckons with Konta confirming last week she would once again be playing all three grasscourt tournaments on British soil in the run-up to Wimbledon: Nottingham, Birmingham and Eastbourne.

Konta is not getting ahead of herself or thinking about qualification for Singapore 2018 just yet, after exceptional runs from Svetlana Kuznetsova and Caroline Garcia denied her a place in 2016 and 2017.

“It’s unfortunate the way Singapore works as I demonstrated over the last couple of years. There’s a lot of movements at play, with two years in a row two players playing exceptionally well to knock me out. 

“Caroline did so incredibly well to win Wuhan and Beijing. There’s a lot of tennis to be played between now and then.”

As WTA World No.11, Konta also said she is not feeling any extra pressure to fly the flag for Great Britain with Andy Murray having missed the last seven months of ATP action due to a hip injury.

“At the end of the day I can only do the best I can and that’s what I strive to do every time I step on to the court; to just play the best level and represent myself and my country well. 

“But I’m definitely looking forward to when he’s healthy again, for him and for the sport – he’s great for the sport.”

This week Konta is preparing for Fed Cup action with Great Britain alongside Heather Watson, Katie Boulter and Anna Smith and says she would love to repeat last year’s strong showing - GB made the World Group II playoffs - but admits qualification will be tough.

“Last year we made it to the World Group II playoffs. It would be a great achievement for us to put ourselves in that position again. 

“However, as it works with this format, it’s a lot of tennis to be played in a week, a lot of challenges, a lot of teams to be played and people raise their level when it comes to Fed Cup and Davis Cup so there’s going to be a lot of tough matches.”

Great Britain will be playing against hosts Estonia and Portugal in the Fed Cup Europe/Africa Group I from Wednesday, February 7. For more information, check the LTA's official website.