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U.S. OPEN

August 28, 2018

Johanna Konta

New York, NY, USA

C. GARCIA/J. Konta

6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you assess the match today?
JOHANNA KONTA: Uhm, I think a bit of a story of two tales. I think she played incredibly well. She had very little letdown to almost none, nothing. So she played a consistently very high level throughout the whole match, made it very hard for me to get any momentum.

Yeah, that's basically what it felt like out there.

Q. She said compared to previous matches she'd been able to read your serve better. I think you served 53% first serves. Do you think that's something maybe you didn't do as well as in previous matches?
JOHANNA KONTA: I think I definitely didn't have a good serving day, so that definitely hurt me, especially because she was serving well. I didn't do a good enough job of actually kind of neutralizing especially her second serve. I could have done a bit better today. For whatever reason it didn't happen.

For sure, I didn't have a good serving day compared to how I've been serving this past summer even.

Q. How difficult were the conditions out there?
JOHANNA KONTA: It was bloody hot (smiling). My eyes are, like, still burning and I wasn't even out there for very long. Yeah, no, it's very hot out there.

Q. It was quite windy, as well.
JOHANNA KONTA: It was gusty, yeah. I practiced on that court twice before leading into today. It swirls in there anyway. So it didn't feel too different from the other two days. Yeah, for sure it was gusty. But it was just very hot.

Q. Do the conditions affect you in how you play? Subconsciously you keep something in reserve on a really hot day like that?
JOHANNA KONTA: Uhm, I think -- I mean, you definitely look to not waste energy on unnecessary things. However, that really didn't apply to my match today. I think I felt like my energy was very directed and contained towards me trying to do the best that I can out there and get myself into the match.

But, yeah, I think there's definitely less of an opportunity to waste energy when the conditions are very tough for everybody.

Q. What's happening the rest of the season?
JOHANNA KONTA: I'm heading to Tokyo, then Wuhan, Beijing, then Moscow.

Q. I think you've always said this year that you feel you're making progress, you're happy with the way things are going. Do you still feel that way?
JOHANNA KONTA: Uhm, I definitely think that today doesn't take away from the good matches that I've played also here in the hard court summer. I think I've played a lot of good tennis against the best players in the world. That doesn't take that away.

I came up against a very well-playing Caroline today. There's definitely things I would have liked to have done better. However, not all of those things were under my control.

There was a number of difficulties, you know, that are unexpected. It's just the way it is.

Q. You've had a tough run at the slams in particular, probably more than all of the tournaments this year. Anything you can see that might explain that?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, at the French, I lost to Putintseva who then made the quarters. At Wimbledon I lost to Domi who then made the quarters. Here I lost to a player who was last week No. 5 in the world, this week No. 6 in the world. I'm playing against the best players who are doing very well.

I don't think there's too much to really beat myself up over and analyze. I mean, I think, you know, that's just the way it is sometimes.

Q. I know you don't like to fixate on points or anything. Obviously you have no points to defend for the rest of the season. Do you see this as a good opportunity to move forward?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, whether there are points to defend or not, I mean, every week is an opportunity at the end of the day. I'm excited that I've got another four tournaments that I'm down for. I'll be working very hard to try to give myself a chance at Zhuhai possibly.

I think there's still a lot to play for. I'm healthy, knock on wood, besides being sick last week. But I'm healthy.

So, yeah, I mean, still a lot of tennis to be played.

Q. You felt okay today after the illness? Were you fully recovered?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, it's going to be an accelerated recovery because there's only so much amount of time. I definitely did the best that I could today.

Q. Do you think a goal, say, from here until the end of the year might be to get back into the top 32? It just feels like when you're ranked below that, you get exposed and play someone like Caroline in the first round.
JOHANNA KONTA: I'm playing to get higher in the rankings. I'm playing to move up to be at the top of the game. Obviously my goal will be to go deep into the tournaments to give myself that chance of moving up the rankings.

I definitely don't put any limit or specific number in mind, but I definitely -- I am working towards that. That's where I put my work into, to move in an upward trajectory.

Q. Do you feel Michael Joyce is still working well with you?
JOHANNA KONTA: I still definitely feel we're doing good work. I think you need to give things time. I feel, yeah, happy with the relationship that we have.

Q. What does Michael bring to your game this year? Has his influence shown in your game? Is it still to come maybe?
JOHANNA KONTA: I feel I'm -- number one, coming into this year I was in a very unhappy place. The number one job was to get me into a happy place.

I feel definitely that we've achieved that. That's already a massive win because that gives me the desire to play and the desire to work hard and compete, to put myself in those wonderful positions out there that every player does when they step out on the court. I want to be in that environment. That already is a massive win, personal win for me.

I feel that we are clear on my game, and we're putting in the work to try to make me the best player that I can be, for sure. Whether the results will come now or in a few months or whether they don't, I don't know. But it's definitely not for a lack of trying.

Q. How long was your agreement with Michael? Is it sort of on a year-by-year basis? You'll review at the end of the season, I guess?
JOHANNA KONTA: We'll work together as long as we feel it's mutually beneficial.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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