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MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAÃº

March 26, 2018

Johanna Konta

Miami, Florida

V. WILLIAMS/J. Konta

5-7, 6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you tell us about the back injury?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I'd be hesitant to call it an injury. I think it was more just a case of me playing with a little too much stress and therefore my body not dealing with and adapting well enough to the conditions.

It was quite swirly out there, and when you're not, I think, fluid enough and loose enough to kind of deal with that, it just puts that much more of a strain on your body.

So I think mainly it was more of a spasm more than anything, and I just wanted to make sure that it didn't become more sinister, which spasms can. That's it.

Q. You had a very good start in the match, and she sort of very effectively turned it around. Was that surprising to you at all?
JOHANNA KONTA: No, not at all. I think when you play against someone of her caliber and the women that are at the top of the game, it's never over until you literally shake hands.

I definitely wasn't surprised that she was able to do that. I think she did a very good job in adapting and dealing with the situation and the conditions out there.

I definitely struggled to raise my level like she did, which is unfortunate, but, yeah, no, I wasn't surprised.

Q. She's been through an awful lot throughout her career, and she keeps steaming on. Do you ever marvel at how she keeps doing it, finding herself in a hole and finding a way to win a match after all she's been through? Do you ever marvel at her abilities to sort of carry on and keep plowing on and winning? She's had some tough matches.
JOHANNA KONTA: Yeah, I mean, I think you have always got to appreciate when players fight through matches. She's not alone in there. There is a lot of great players out there who do that in successive matches and on a regular basis.

Obviously I think it's inspirational to see for how long she's been playing and how much she's still obviously hungry to be out there and to compete.

So yeah. But I think the quality of not giving in and not giving up and then continuing to go is a quality that most of the players on tour possess.

Q. You mentioned the word "stress," and also against Mertens we kind of talked about how you stayed in control. It did seem like your composure wasn't there as much later on, talking to Michael quite a lot, and maybe there were more unforced errors. So did you feel that mentally it got tougher as it went on as well as the spasm in the back?
JOHANNA KONTA: No, actually I think my composure was quite relevant to the match I was playing. I think obviously Venus definitely asked a lot of questions of me today.

So the challenge was that much more difficult maybe compared to yesterday. However, I don't think I -- yeah, I don't think my composure was any different. I think the stress more of what I'm talking about is more of just my ability to play the match on today and without the thoughts of last year or without the thoughts of basically any external things. That was more of what I was referring to.

Q. Just to be clear, you're saying that today you felt the pressure a bit more of being the fact you were out there defending your title?
JOHANNA KONTA: No, not at all.

Q. I didn't quite understand...
JOHANNA KONTA: No, no, that's not what I mean. I mean more of I knew last year that we played a great match here, and I think I didn't play today on today's merit enough. I think I spent a little bit too much time on thinking about how it felt last year or the level of tennis that we played.

Obviously the conditions this year were very different to last year when we played, so I think I just needed to do a better job of playing today on the merit of today.

Q. Obviously you have played some good matches this year, including this week. Can you put your finger on kind of why it seems to be tougher to sustain this year than the last sort of 18 months previously?
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, I think I'm coming into this year in a different position than I started last season. Last season when I started, I had played till the very end. I was still involved in Zhuhai where I lost in the semis. There was very little time in between. And obviously I finished the year in a different position with the amount of wins that I had under my belt and just the amount of matches that I had played.

So I definitely think I started this year with a different challenge, and compared to where I started, I actually feel very positive with my improvement and with the level I feel I'm producing more and more.

I think it's more for, if you were to compare, although I don't like to, more to compare the beginning of my 2015 and how I needed to build up enough matches and enough stamina to then sustain the highest level possible that I could produce against the best players, and that takes time.

So, no, I don't necessarily feel it's fair for me to compare to last year, because I think the challenges are slightly different.

Q. As a member of the WTA Players Council, do you have a personal opinion about Azarenka's plan about maternity leave? And is there a consensus on the council or any kind of plan or you plan to present a proposal to the WTA?
JOHANNA KONTA: The conversation has only just started with that. Literally when we met last week, that was the first time the conversation has been brought up, so I don't think I'm in any position to say of what's going to develop or what the stance is of everybody, because the conversation literally has just started, and the e-mail actually going out to not just the council but to the WTA players was only sent yesterday. So I think the conversation literally is just starting.

My personal opinion? Quite honestly, I haven't thought about it enough. Again, I like to think about certain things which matter before I say anything, really (smiling).

Q. If the sort of back issue continues, do you have to rethink going from clay to hard and back to clay?
JOHANNA KONTA: No, I feel fairly confident, like again, I don't really think of it as an injury. I think it was just a muscle spasm which I believe should resolve itself. And, no, I still am really looking forward to playing next week. I'm excited to keep playing. I'm enjoying where I am and I -- yeah, I feel there is a lot of room for me to get better, and that's a good feeling to have.

I definitely would like to go to Japan to try and give us the, to be involved with the group that, you know, gives us a shot at maybe getting a home tie for the first time in 25 years.

Q. You're a veteran now.
JOHANNA KONTA: Am I (smiling)?

Q. And champion in Miami. But is there still a mystique factor when you play somebody like Venus? Is it really a different experience going out against another, say, another top-10 player?
JOHANNA KONTA: Say that again?

Q. Is there a mystique factor that works for her, mental challenge? Is it a little different from going out against, say, another top-10 player?
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, actually, quite honestly, I try to approach, I mean, every match the same way, regardless whether they are top 10 or not.

I think -- quite funny. If you're calling me a veteran, what do you call Venus?

Q. Super veteran.
JOHANNA KONTA: Yeah, I think when you go up against someone like Venus or Serena who have achieved so much in the sport, you do have that admiration for them, but I do think you also leave all sorts of feelings on the side of the court, because when you go out there to compete against anyone, you're there to win. You're there to come through. So I think, yeah, I don't think I go up against her any different than I do anyone else.

Q. So you can put it aside successfully, you're saying? You can put those feelings aside and...
JOHANNA KONTA: I believe so. Yeah, I believe I play the player on the day and then whatever issues that I'm having (smiling).

Q. I'm just wondering, this was a new experience coming here, defending...
JOHANNA KONTA: Actually, no, I played Sydney.

Q. Excuse me. But this is a big -- it's a very big, prestigious event here. What's the sort of emotion now, now that you're out of the tournament, given what happened here last year? And what is your mindset going into the kind of meatiest part of the season that's coming up?
JOHANNA KONTA: I think I'm actually quite happy with my performance here, again, building on last week, building on the weeks before. I still feel I'm heading in the right direction, and I feel happy with the two previous matches that I played coming into this one, as well.

I think, like I said, I'm looking forward to next week, looking forward to Fed Cup, so I have a lot of excitement for the tournaments coming up, like you said, the meatiest part of the season.

So yeah. I think overall I'm looking forward to it. I really enjoyed coming back here as this experience playing as a defending champion. I really hope I get the opportunity to do that more often, and, yeah, I think it's a nice privilege to have.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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