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HUAJIN SECURITIES WTA ELITE TROPHY ZHUHAI

November 2, 2016

Johanna Konta

Zhuhai, China

J. KONTA/S. Stosur

6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. As we all know, you had a great performance this year. Do you have any goal in this tournament? Are you still looking for any breakthrough? What is your expectation next year, next season? Thank you.
JOHANNA KONTA: Right now I'm at this event and my focus is to do the best that I can here. I hope to be involved in as many matches as possible and here until the very end. Obviously it's a very tough playing field. We'll see how it goes.

In terms of next year, I don't put any external expectations on myself. I feel very process oriented and I look to improve myself every day. Unfortunately sometimes it doesn't get reflected in results.

I love what I do and I love trying to get better every day. That's what I look forward to most next year.

Q. Quick start today and then got a little tenser from there. How did you mitigate the comeback from Stosur and get it done in two?
JOHANNA KONTA: I definitely felt I started strong, but I think throughout the whole match there was not much in it. We had a lot of close games and I really had to fight to kind of keep myself ahead there.

I think she played some really, really great tennis in parts. I'm very happy to have come through that. Definitely wasn't easy; none of them are. I think it was exactly as expected: a tough game.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting another chance to play. (Laughter.)

Q. Zhang Shuai told us the other day that when she played a few tournaments in a row she felt physically tired. When she stop playing for a few weeks it's also mentally tough for her because she misses tennis and wants to compete. You haven't played a tournament for a few weeks. Do you feel excited to step on the court and hit the ball again?
JOHANNA KONTA: I definitely am very happy to be at an event that I'm actually playing at. I think that was a bit of a different experience for me last week.

But it hasn't been too long. My last event was two weeks ago, and I'm very lucky about that. I'm fit and I'm healthy and I'm here and looking forward to, yeah, to really try and play as much as I can seeing as this is my last event for the year.

Q. Question about Andy Murray. He had the opportunity to become the world No. 1 this week. What do you think it means to your country?
JOHANNA KONTA: (Laughter.) Well, I mean, honestly, it would be an incredible achievement for anybody. Obviously being from Great Britain, yeah, he's already a hero at home. There's not much left for him to do.

Yeah, he's definitely part of sporting history back home. I think that's a given no matter what happens. He's definitely put himself into a great position to be able to achieve that. It's not an easy thing to do. I think it shouldn't be taken for granted what he has achieved so far, and the fact that he is in this position to get there, I think that's already incredible.

So, yeah, hopefully he will finish strong.

Q. Follow-up question on that. I am wondering if you know Andy very well? In your eyes, what kind of person, not a player, but a person is he?
JOHANNA KONTA: I've recently gotten to know him better and better. I've actually known him for quite some time. He was training in Spain when I was there, so I have seen him around for quite a lot of years.

It was only I guess recently, since the Olympics and Beijing, where I spent more time with him. He's very funny and down to earth. He's incredibly professional, and I think that comes through in everything that he does. That definitely reflects on court as well with what he's achieved in the sport.

Yeah, that's I guess all I can say. (Laughter.)

Q. You'll get a different kind of power in the next match: less spin and more flat. How do you adjust to someone who plays such a unique game on the women's tour right now as Stosur compared to someone perhaps more traditional or contemporary like Garcia?
JOHANNA KONTA: That's part of every tournament that I play. Rarely do I go into an event and play the same kind of player every match. There is always going to be some variety and some change.

I think I played Caroline twice this year, so we've been on court against each other. I guess that will be in both our favors.

Otherwise it's a 50/50 match. Going into it I will obviously have a chat with my coach and see what I want to be achieving out there.

Most importantly, regardless of any game plan or anything, it would be about competing the best I can and really trying to edge the bets in my favor on the court on the day.

Q. You just talk about the professionalism of Andy. In Beijing, Zhang Shuai said, Me and Joanna, we're always the girls coming to practice very early. Do you think of yourself as one of the hardest working girls on the tour, or just enjoy early practice session?
JOHANNA KONTA: I try not to compare myself to how other players train or how they, I guess, go through their careers. Everyone is very individual and it's very individual what works for them.

But I definitely enjoy working hard and I do actually -- I'm more of a morning person, so I do like early mornings. I'm under no false delusions. I'm fully aware that I need to put the time into my profession to get the most out of myself on the court.

So, yeah, I invest my time and energy into luckily something that I love. (Smiling.)

Q. Share some thoughts on ranking. Talk about what do you think about ranking. Like have you ever imagined you are in top 3 or higher, something like that?
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, I think it's what I dream of as a little girl. I dreamt of being No. 1 in the world, being the best player out there.

I think you got to put also dreams aside a little bit separate just because you got to focus on the work and you got to focus on things that you can control. That's the effort and attitude that I approach my job, what I do.

So quite honestly, I don't really think of rankings. I don't measure myself by my ranking, nor my results, so I can't really, I guess, answer your question that well. (Laughter.)

Q. You said you don't measure yourself by ranking and results. How do you measure your achievement? Your own standard?
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, no, I measure myself according to how I train and how I compete on the day. I look to always make sure that every time I step out on to the court I give it all.

As long as I do that, I know I've given myself the best chance to have a good outcome.

Q. So growing up you were probably one of the last generations who were looking up at other players and maybe seeing them peak and break through at 19 and 20. Now this next generation of juniors is looking up and seeing players like Kerber and Serena and even yourself. Of course you're still young yet. But seeing players breaking through at a later age - and I know you're personally about the process and gaining experience - do you feel like the next generation is going to adapt more of that philosophy seeing players break through later, and that that might help them in some way?
JOHANNA KONTA: I think it definitely is in their benefit to see that they're not late for anything, that they're not behind, to have that reassurance that, you know, sometimes it takes time and sometimes it really is just perseverance.

I think that's definitely a great thing for them. I personally definitely had to work a lot on not feeling like I was behind or not feeling that, yeah, that I was too old. So I think definitely. I think that's a great thing for future generations.

Q. Just a lighter question. Bacsinszky showed off an opera mask that apparently you can get in the player lounge. Evidently there is a station where you can get calligraphy done and paint a mask. Is that something you have had a chance to do or if that is something you would like to do this week?
JOHANNA KONTA: No, but now that you mention it, I will need to go and check this out. I'm all about arts and crafts.

No, I haven't had the chance, but I probably will actually walk over there now.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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