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U.S. OPEN

September 4, 2016

Johanna Konta

New York, NY, USA

A. SEVASTOVA/J. Konta

6-4, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Difficult start. Although you fought back to 3-All in the first set, you never seemed to quite recover from that.
JOHANNA KONTA: I felt I did the best I could today. My opponent played I think an overall more solid match than I did.

Yeah, I mean, I really am happy with how I was able to come back from that 3-0 down. I thought I did a good job getting myself back into the match. It wasn't easy.

I didn't play the tennis level that I maybe would have liked to have played, but I competed the best I could.

Yeah, so I left it all out there.

Q. When you reflect on the match, what particular areas would you have liked to have done better?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I think it was a combination of things. Yeah, I think I needed to perhaps maybe be a little more offensive in certain parts and also be able to just move a bit better.

But, again, I used what I had today, and unfortunately just wasn't good enough to get me through.

Q. I think she broke your serve seven times. She was hitting a lot of big returns. Did you feel you could have served better, as well?
JOHANNA KONTA: No. I think she did a good job at neutralizing, myself. I honestly think she did a very good job. She played very well.

She didn't give me too much, and what she did I felt, you know, I didn't do the best job of capitalizing on.

But that's sometimes just how it goes. Honestly, all credit to her. I think she handled the situation well. Again, I did the best that I could, and unfortunately this is where it got me for today.

Q. You have come obviously a long way in a very short space of time. Just consolidate that and try and make the next step. Are there any particular things you think you need to work on?
JOHANNA KONTA: Definitely. I'm continuously working on getting better. It's not something that I reflect on now, and from now on we're going to start improving on things. It's a constant journey and effort every single day.

But in terms of what I'm working on, that's between me, myself, and my team.

Q. When you took the court today, what were kind of the challenges that you were facing just on your side of the court? Because it looked like a bit of a subpar Jo Konta today. What were the challenges of kind of getting your game to the level you wanted it to be today.
JOHANNA KONTA: I think it was just managing my energy levels today and managing just, you know, what I had left in the tank and really maximizing that.

I felt I did that, and unfortunately it wasn't enough to play the kind of tennis I wanted to play. I honestly did a good job in managing what I did have, and I really gave my best.

Q. You mentioned energy levels. You played a lot of matches this year. Did fatigue play a part?
JOHANNA KONTA: Generally energy levels and fatigue are interlinked. Yeah, no, I had to, yeah, really stay within myself and really just focus on the best I could do.

Yeah, I mean, I will go back now, go back home and rest and just work on keeping -- continuously try and improve.

Q. You said the other day that recovery from the tough moment you had when you went down on the court would take a few days. Do you think that's still ongoing?
JOHANNA KONTA: Um, I'm sure there is some remnants of it, but it's not the reason I lost today.

I think also what happened a few days ago, it's an accumulation of things. I have played a lot of tennis, and especially in this space of time.

But also, I can't exactly complain about that because that's a wonderful problem to have. So honestly, I did the best that I could today, and hopefully I'll get many more opportunities to really leave it all out there on the court.

Q. What's your program for now and the rest of the season?
JOHANNA KONTA: Um, going home now, and then planning on Wuhan, Beijing, and Hong Kong.

Q. Can you talk about her game a little bit? A lot of us haven't seen her week in and week out like we have seen you. What did you see and what was particularly effective off her racquet today?
JOHANNA KONTA: I thought she did a very good job at really staying in the point when she needed to. I thought she neutralized points very, very well.

I think she definitely read the game quite well, as well.

And otherwise, I think it was quite impressive that she -- I mean, I know she was an experienced player before, but she's come out of retirement again, I guess.

But just the way she was able to handle the situation, yeah, no, I think it was very good how she was able to keep coming back even after she was 5-3-up and she had a couple of match points.

She did a good job at, yeah, just keeping it going.

Q. Angie Kerber has had a chances to overtake Serena's No. 1 ranking, and she has one again. Regardless of Serena's obvious dominance in general, would that be a good thing to mix it up and have someone else get that top ranking?
JOHANNA KONTA: Oh, I don't know. I'm not sure what to say to that.

I think it would be wonderful achievement for Angie Kerber; but equally, for Serena to maintain her No. 1 status, that would be equally wonderful achievement.

Q. Doesn't say anything about the depth of tennis or anything like that?
JOHANNA KONTA: I think Serena maintaining her No. 1 position, I don't think that says anything less of the depth of women's tennis.

I think the level that the girls are playing on a consistent basis, I think, is pretty impressive, and it's only going to get better and better.

Q. Wondering if you have these days, because of what you have done the last 12 months, kind of heightened expectations of yourself? If that's something you are having to deal with it and adds to the pressure a bit, the fact that you have now shown, you know, what you're capable of in Australia, for example.
JOHANNA KONTA: Going into this match today, I do not go in with an expectation of winning. I went in with the expectation of doing my best and really making sure that I left it all out there, which I did.

I know it sounds like a broken record, but if I were to be judging myself on results, it would be a very up and down sort of career. I take my enjoyment and my satisfaction of the effort I do put in on a daily basis. So if I look at it like that, I do think I did the best that I could today.

Yeah, I think in terms of ranking or tournament expectations, that's very much an external factor.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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