US OPEN

September 1, 2020

Johanna Konta

Press Conference

J. KONTA/H. Watson

7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was it like to play someone from your own country in the first round?

JOHANNA KONTA: I think it was always going to be inevitably a bit more stressful. I think whenever you play a compatriot there is an extra level of anxiety and stress for, I mean, a number of different reasons.

I think I was kind of anticipating that, expecting that. I just kind of wanted to put that to one side and enjoy playing a really good player, competing well.

So I just, yeah, I was pleased with how I competed and kind of just asked that question from my opponent today of, for her to also keep raising her level the whole match.

Q. On TV you said that you said living in a hotel situation was like being on a cruise liner in the Pacific Ocean. What are you doing to alleviate boredom?

JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I don't think it's necessarily boring to be on a cruise. I have not been on one. So it's definitely not boring, but it's just every day is very much the same. I think that's kind of more the idea.

I think, I mean, I've got Netflix, so that's been kind of good (smiling). And then otherwise, I mean, there is the golf simulator which I said last week sometime I have had a few goes on. There is literally arcade games which I imagine a cruise would do (smiling).

Q. Playing a compatriot, you said there are a number of reasons there is extra stress. What are the reasons?

JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, there will be obviously, there is more interest at home, so there will be more opinions from people at home. There's going to be more kind of -- obviously we spend a lot of time together. There's always going to be rivalry between compatriots. It's always going to be that extra stressful.

Even if it's not imposed from myself or Heather, and we don't really I think care about that, there's always going to be an element of people having more judgments and more of an opinion on the outside at home on a match like today.

Q. Have you been following the debates about the bubble and the sort of situation around Benoit Paire? Is it something that concerns you that there might be cases inside the bubble?

JOHANNA KONTA: I haven't followed it anymore than I think when you asked me about it on Sunday. So I don't know anything besides someone got tested positive, which we then found out was Benoit Paire.

And then I just know that -- and through the contact tracing that some other players and a member of staff are kind of in this extra bubble where they have kind of been cordoned off or using separate areas. But otherwise, I don't know anything more or haven't followed anything other than that.

You know, it's just what it is right now, so I'm not trying to, I guess, think about it too much. Kind of trying to take it each test at a time. Each negative test I get back, I'm, like, Woo, I'm in it for another four days.

Otherwise, yeah, just kind of being sensible and doing the best that I can kind of for myself and the people around me.

Q. I'd like to ask you about the proposed professional tennis players association put forth by some of the male players. Is that something you'd like to see the women included in? Do you think there is the need for that kind of union amongst the players?

JOHANNA KONTA: I don't know, because I actually don't know anything of it. The men haven't reached out to myself personally. I don't know if they have reached out to any of the other women. I don't know.

So actually, I didn't even know it was happening until our CEO, Steve Simon, sent an e-mail to the player council of kind of opening up the conversation of how we felt about it, if there was any other thoughts that we had, if we felt we were well enough represented, if the player group felt like they were well enough represented.

In terms of the need for it, I don't know. I don't think I'm, to be fair, I don't think I have put enough thought or, yeah, thought behind it. I think it's important to separate this year from other years when it comes to representation when it comes to just general frustrations. I think this year has been very challenging for everybody.

I think overall from what I have heard from players in general, I think the women are quite well represented. Then again, there is always room for improvement. I don't know what that improvement looks like, though.

Q. What do you think about the Andy Murray comeback today in his match and in his career, too? What is the meaning of Andy for British tennis?

JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I just saw that he won, so I didn't -- I didn't even know what the score was or when he was playing. Now since then I have seen he was two sets to Love down and obviously he came back to win that in five. He's a champion of Grand Slams and gold medals because of the challenger he is. He's so incredibly tenacious. I didn't even see the match, but I assume that's just kind of what he brought to the table.

He's, I mean, also overcoming the injury that he had. Just shows his tenacity and perseverance and love for his sport.

I think, for that, he is regarded a sporting hero back home and rightly so.

Q. Have you and Heather ever trained together?

JOHANNA KONTA: Yeah, no, we sometimes do when we are back at the NTC in London. And, yeah, especially during this period, past period when we had lockdown, we did train together a couple of times.