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NATURE VALLEY INTERNATIONAL

June 26, 2019

Johanna Konta

Eastbourne, England

O. JABEUR/J. Konta

6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What are your thoughts after that?
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, to be honest, I mean, I think I just played an opponent who played very well today. I didn't feel like I actually did too much wrong. Actually, I don't think I did anything wrong.

There is very few things I could have tried differently or more of, but to be honest, I actually thought I did quite well in the amount of questions I asked my opponent today, and she just was answering them every time.

Q. What is it about her? She's got an unpredictable style, can play crazy shots. What is it about her game that's particularly difficult on grass?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, it's not anything specific that's difficult about her game. It's just she played incredibly well. She was able to get back balls from different positions of the court and hit winners from different positions of the court.

Any changes of rhythm that I actually tried to give, yeah, she was just able to find her range and find her game from any balls that I gave her, which obviously makes it quite difficult for me not to be able to kind of put her on the back foot at all.

Q. How frustrating is that when you're playing someone you don't even think you're playing badly but everything you come up with they have the answer to?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, obviously it's frustrating. I'd like to feel effective when I'm out on court, but I also feel that I practice good perspective out there. I recognize that you know what? Okay, she is doing this.

It's just about I'm trying to stay there and try to keep doing what I'm doing to try and get her out of that rhythm to hopefully get my foot in the match, and hopefully it doesn't last from her for two sets or three sets.

I mean, in the case of today, it lasted two sets. It doesn't always last for the whole match, but today it did.

Q. Obviously she was playing very well, but can you talk us through the different strategies you tried to try and take her off her game?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I tried to obviously sometimes slow down the balls a bit because I know she absorbs pace very well. And then I tried to speed it up, because I tried to get at it that way.

I tried to sometimes go through the middle a bit more. She was moving around the ball quite well. So then I tried to move it out wide. She was moving well out wide (smiling).

So then I tried to use slower slices. I tried to use faster slices. I actually thought I varied my serve quite well. I went through pretty much every serve I can hit. Yeah.

Q. With you being British No. 1 and also the local favorite, it was a bit of surprise among the spectators that you weren't on center. Did that take you by surprise to be on No. 1 rather than center?
JOHANNA KONTA: I have played on Court 1 before, as well. I mean, I think it's just part of scheduling. I don't really pay too much attention to scheduling. I have been asked so many scheduling questions in the last few weeks (smiling).

Q. What will the next few days look like for you?
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, I head back up to London probably this afternoon/evening. And then just, yeah, sort the next few days out between preparing, resting, and just getting ready for Wimbledon.

Q. How have you found the adjustment to grass? Obviously we saw you playing a very different way on the clay to previous years. Have you tried to just take that onto the grass or readjust for different surfaces?
JOHANNA KONTA: No, I definitely feel I'm bringing the same sort of thought processes and the same ideas from the clay to the grass. Obviously this surface demands certain adjustments and adaptations. I definitely feel like I have been able to adjust well movement-wise and also accepting on what the majority of points look like on the grass versus the clay. However, in terms of the things that I'm bringing, there is definitely a matter of crossover.

Q. Where would you say you are going into the tournament compared to, say, 2017?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, it's 2019 so I guess we are in a different year.

Q. But do you feel better than previous years? Do you feel you're in a better place going into the tournament or not quite there?
JOHANNA KONTA: I'm in the place that I am, and I feel good in the place that I am. I don't really compare it to two years ago, because it's just not relevant.

I'm working on different things. Yeah, just different. Yeah, I feel in a good place, in the best place possible to do the best that I can.

Q. You have been back home in Eastbourne this week. I was wondering what it was like when you first came here when you were younger? Because doing things like moving schools is hard enough at that age let alone moving countries.
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, I didn't move schools because I was already home-schooled. I didn't leave any school friends or have to integrate into a new school.

I came here about 10 years ago, so I was already 18, but I was already traveling a lot with tennis. So for me, coming home here was always mainly just to come home to mum and dad. That's mainly where I spent my time.

But growing up with this sport and the sort of lifestyle, I got used to being adaptable quite quickly because I had to be.

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