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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORP

January 2, 2018

Johanna Konta

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

J. KONTA/A. Tomljanovic

4-6, 6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It looked like it took a little bit of time to get your rhythm tonight. How were you feeling in the first set and how were you able to kind of flip things around?
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, I definitely didn't start off playing the way I wanted to. I was a little bit loose in my game and I couldn't quite find my rhythm.

That is also a credit to her. She came out playing, I think, very well and was taking a lot of time away, hitting big. So it just took a bit of adjusting for me.

However, I didn't feel like I was too far from playing the way I wanted to play. So I just kept believing and trusting in that and trusting in my own process and kind of played myself into the match.

And, yeah, felt like I started doing more of what I wanted to do. And, yeah, again, it was really tough in the last bit. She played very freely. And I guess that happens when, you know, when the players are down and they start swinging freely.

So, yeah, really happy to have come through that.

Q. Was she in your age group as a junior?
JOHANNA KONTA: No, but her sister was.

Q. I thought so. Was she in your category when you were training here?
JOHANNA KONTA: No. No. Because I think Ajla came here not that long ago, I don't think. No. I mean, I left here, what, 13, 14 years ago now, so no.

We crossed paths more on the junior circuit, the ITF circuit. But her sister and I are the same age, so we played some under 14's.

Q. Your first couple wins here and both of them you've come up through tough moments. Does it feel like you know, last year maybe that that wasn't quite happening for you? Do you feel good after the last couple days?
JOHANNA KONTA: I think it's different circumstances, different situations. Some of the things that I was dealing with end of last year, also off the court and just generally emotionally and physically even with certain things, they have obviously resolved themselves.

However, there's still some work to be done this period of the year because, obviously, I didn't have too many wins under my belt end of last year. So I'm definitely working on accumulating that match fitness again.

And so to have these two three-set matches is a really good thing for me because both matches were full of all sorts of difficult situations and parts in the match where I really had to be physically or mentally, or both, just really tough out there.

Q. Are you still managing the foot problem a bit? Is that sort of still in the back of your mind?
JOHANNA KONTA: No. I mean, it's something that I am managing, but it's not in the back of my mind. It's something that I deal with before and after a match but nothing on court.

So, yeah, knock on wood -- that's the last press conference, I feel like -- it will stay that way. But definitely nothing with what I was dealing with end of last year.

Q. You had two tough matches and doubles yesterday as well. So over the last 48 hours, how is the body feeling? It can be a bit of a grind.
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I think probably tomorrow I will be a little more sore than right now, but overall not too bad. Luckily, I did have those two buffer matches in Thailand, and I was making sure that I was playing a lot of sets towards the last couple weeks of my preseason.

Definitely, when I played my first set preseason I was very, very sore having not played since Beijing. But, yeah, I'll be a little bit sore here and there as normal, but so far I'm okay.

Q. Do you know that Andy pulled out of the tournament?
JOHANNA KONTA: No, I didn't. I actually just found that out, yeah, maybe 20 minutes ago.

Q. I just noticed on social media -- you'll maybe see it later -- he's posted quite a lengthy Instagram statement on just how sad he is not to be able to play at the moment, and a few of the players have responded by saying they're sad not to see him play as well. How do you feel about seeing him struggle at moment?
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, it is sad. I mean, as a player, you have a lot of compassion when another player is not fit to play. Because all of us have been in that situation in one way or another where we struggle physically or with certain difficulties that prevent us from playing.

So 100%, you don't really wish that on anybody, and definitely not someone like Andy who's such a, yeah, true champion and a true sportsman in tennis.

So, yeah, I think I'd definitely like to see him back playing soon.

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