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ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2019

Johanna Konta

Paris, France

J. KONTA/V. Kuzmova

6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Was that your best performance on clay?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, it was definitely a really good performance, but I'd like to think that I have had just as good or different good performances, I think, for how I wanted to play against her, and the things I wanted to do out there.

I thought I executed that really well. So, yeah, no, I thought it was a good performance for what I tried to do out there for today.

Q. You're sounding a bit better. Are you feeling a bit better? Cold is going?
JOHANNA KONTA: Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. No, I think today is the most human I have felt the last few days, so definitely seeing the light, which is nice.

But, yeah, no, coming to the end of it, hopefully. Yeah, taking it one day at a time.

Q. How does it feel to be the first British woman in the fourth round since 1983?
JOHANNA KONTA: Yeah, I mean, I get reminded or I get my attention brought to these different little milestones, which is definitely a nice pat on the back. It's a nice thing to hear and especially after winning a match, it's just a nice little extra.

Q. You have never lost a third round at a Grand Slam. Can you explain that, how you can always do so well at this stage?
JOHANNA KONTA: I'm not sure (smiling). I don't think I played that many, have I? Maybe, like, six or something like that?

That's nice, nice thing. It's a nice position to be in, I guess. It's definitely not guaranteed. It's not like I get to the third round, and, Yeah, I got this, for sure.

Q. When you get into a tournament, you win matches, you're a rhythm player, if you like. Once you're into a tournament you can go a long way into it. That's what it suggests.
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I think every week that I play, obviously the further I get in the tournament, it's a nice achievement. I mean, I definitely, going into today, I mean, I knew that I had a challenge that I was faced with against her and I was very clear on what I wanted to do out there.

Just to be able to do that and come through and make it to the second week here, yeah, I'm really pleased with that.

Q. Your next match is Donna Vekic, a friend of yours. You're 3-All with her in your career rivalry and you have had some humdingers with her in the past but never on clay. Can you just give us an idea what you're expecting from her on Sunday on clay?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, she's in great form. She's been playing great tennis. I think I have actually lost the last two encounters we have had. Like you said, we have had some pretty impressive battles in the past, so there is no reason why Sunday can't be like that.

Yeah, I mean, when she's playing well, she's very tough to play. I will be expecting her to be playing well.

It will be a good opportunity, another good chance for me to play against someone who is in good form, one of the best players in the world, and I will be looking to deal with the challenges as best I can and just looking forward to playing her.

Q. I think that the Wimbledon match is the one we all remember most. What do you remember most about that match?
JOHANNA KONTA: The flying ants, probably (smiling). And then, I mean, that was such a great match to be a part of, and I feel very fortunate to have come out the winning end of that. I mean, it could have gone either way. It's always nice to be a part of those matches where, you know, you do everything you can, and even though you lose, you're not sure, and in the end you get to win. I mean, that's pretty special.

Yeah, I literally remember the flying ants the most. By the way, preceding that, a few weeks before that we played in the final of Nottingham so we had tough battles, two really, really tough battles, quite close in succession.

Yeah, last time we played, that was in Acapulco on hard, and I thought she played a lot better than me there. It will be a nice opportunity for me to try to do well again against her.

Q. Somebody referenced the fact that you're friends with her. Are you particularly good friends with her or she's just somebody you see a lot of? Have you practiced with her an unusual amount or something?
JOHANNA KONTA: I wouldn't say unusual amount. We have practiced together quite a few times, but she's just one of the girls on tour that I probably will talk to a bit more or I have struck up more conversations with or just, yeah, she's probably one of the girls I know more on tour through that.

Q. Not through hitting in London or anything like that?
JOHANNA KONTA: No, not -- I mean, I don't think -- does she still practice in London? I think that was a while ago. I think -- no, it wasn't during that period. It was more in the last few years that we've gotten to know each other more.

Q. I was watching a video a couple of days ago.
JOHANNA KONTA: Oh, gosh.

Q. Where you were giving top tips for how to win on clay.
JOHANNA KONTA: Okay.

Q. One of the things you said is love Europe because there are a lot of clay courts in Europe. You clearly love Europe. Are you falling in love with clay or if it's just a flirtation at the moment? How much are you enjoying the surface and what's special about it at the moment for you?
JOHANNA KONTA: I have always enjoyed clay, to be honest. Like I have said over the last number of weeks, that I have never doubted my form on clay. It's nice to be able to get some reward for the work I have been doing in general, which I think translates to all surfaces. But to get that now, this period, it's quite nice.

It's nice being in Europe. It's nice being close to home. It makes it easier for family to come or it makes it easier just to be in contact with people from back home.

I still miss my dog, though. So I'm looking forward to going home for my dog more than anything because he didn't get to come here.

Otherwise, yeah, it's just nice to be in Europe because everything is so close by and food is good, so...

Q. Speaking of food, we have spoken about baking and blueberries and stuff in the past. Is there anything you're eating in particular in Paris?
JOHANNA KONTA: No. Actually I'm staying in an apartment here where I have stayed for the last number of years and I have been cooking. Nothing mental or crazy. Very simple. Because I have been unwell for the last few days, it's actually been nice to just, yeah, eat very simply at home in the flat.

Q. Can you talk us through sort of your routine tomorrow night and the routine before the match? Are you speaking to the dog on FaceTime?
JOHANNA KONTA: Routine tonight? Oh, for the next match. Well, to answer the dog question, because that's more interesting, I got a video of him listening to my on-court interview, and I swear he recognizes my voice because you can see his little ears go up. Honestly, it's so adorable, I'd show you but I don't think you could all see him. Odd.

Yeah, he's so cute. He has his little white bib.

Anyway, otherwise, routines-wise, it's quite late, I will get some food now and then just slowly wind down and go to bed, wake up, have breakfast. Probably listen to Smooth Radio. That's what I have been listening to in the mornings. That's been nice.

Come here. Warm up. Play. Eat. Recover. Go home. Eat, sleep, play. That's basically it. It's really glamorous (smiling).

Q. Kind of every record you break it seems to be you're the first since Jo Durie. Have you had a chat to Jo Durie and how much did you know about everything she achieved before you started breaking all her records?
JOHANNA KONTA: I actually haven't chatted to her for a long time. I think for a year or two. Haven't really seen her.

I mean, I always get reminded of these records in press conferences or just interviews, so I don't really know -- actually, I didn't really know much of her records before, to be honest. But it's nice to be in good company such as her. Yeah.

Q. At what point do you start bringing Bono?
JOHANNA KONTA: Bono? You don't know the name?

Q. I don't follow him on Instagram.
JOHANNA KONTA: That's your loss.

Q. At what point do you start bringing him along on tour? Because Zverev has done that for a while.
JOHANNA KONTA: He needs a puppy passport, and we haven't gotten him a puppy passport yet. So he will need some vaccinations for that and those vaccinations need to set in, and so is quite a procedure. And I was under the impression you couldn't bring dogs here, but then I saw everyone bringing dogs, so now I'm, like, Why didn't we bring him?

So for next year, Bono will be making an appearance at Roland Garros, that's for sure.

Q. Reaching the second week of a slam is always seen as quite a big thing, big achievement. Is there any kind of a flick mentally when you get to the second week where you start believing I can win this? And it if it's not that point, at what point do you start believing in a Grand Slam I'm going to or I can win this?
JOHANNA KONTA: I think when you -- I mean, for me, personally, whenever I enter tournaments, I believe I can be there till the very end. It's a fine line. Well, at least for me, for me to stay present and for me to just deal with the work at hand and to sometimes -- yeah, let myself day dream thinking, oh, it would be nice or that would be cool or, yeah, kind of think of bigger things like that.

You know, for me, it's good to just stay, one, very grateful for what I have achieved so far. And each stage I get to will get the opportunity to go to. Because nothing is guaranteed, I could have easily lost today as I would have won. It's not written in stone before I step out onto the court.

So, yeah, I mean, I definitely always believe I can make it to the end, and I have been in two Grand Slams semifinals, so I know the feeling of wanting to go a step further.

But for now I'm just very pleased to be in the fourth round. I'm very pleased to have played the match that I played today. I will just be preparing for the next one that I play against another tough opponent. Then we will see what the conversation we are having after.

Q. Going back to your daily schedule, which sounds quite...
JOHANNA KONTA: Glamorous.

Q. Boring?
JOHANNA KONTA: Really glamorous (smiling).

Q. Do you not get sucked into any of the other stuff that's going on here? Do you watch any of the other matches? Follow your friends playing? Or do you keep a distance, keep in a bubble of what you're doing and how you're preparing?
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, actually, the apartment where I'm stay, there is no TV so that kind of takes care of that. But here I'm enjoying watching kind of in the locker rooms, we have quite a few TVs with a bunch of different matches or in the physio room you can sit and watch for a little bit.

There is always things to get done. Then after, I try not to spend too long here, because it's quite busy, quite draining. It's just about really conserving energy. And also because I was ill the last few days, people probably wouldn't have appreciated me hanging around too much.

Q. I know you're very much someone who takes one match at a time and treats every match much the same, but do you feel for you winning can become a habit and that the run you have had in the last six weeks or so, it does make you go on court feeling that you can win matches?
JOHANNA KONTA: Oh, I mean, for sure, I think definitely there is definitely a habitual part of winning, if you get the chance to win matches back to back you are able to draw a lot of things a little easier than if you haven't had that. I think you trust yourself a bit easier. Not that it's not possible after losses. Everyone starts winning at some point and everyone loses at some point, too.

Yeah, no, I think it definitely helps with just being able to deal with different situations out on court. Just backing yourself to be able to come out of tough situations, yeah.

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