Johanna Konta vows to learn from Wimbledon conqueror Dominika Cibulkova

Crashing out: 2017 semi-finalist Konta leaves the court after a difficult afternoon
AFP/Getty Images
James Benge6 July 2018

Johanna Konta has vowed to learn from Wimbledon conqueror Dominika Cibulkova as she prepares for what may prove to be a challenging period away from the upper echelon of women’s tennis.

A straight set defeat to the Slovakian in round two will cost Konta a decent chunk of the ranking points she was defending from her semi-final appearance at the All England Club last summer.

The British No.1 found herself overwhelmed by an inspired display from former world No.4 Cibulkova, the most dangerous non-seed in the draw and one who would have been among the top 32 had organisers not opted to seed Serena Williams, playing in just her fourth tournament since the birth of her daughter.

It had not been a decision that Cibulkova empathised with but it appears the 29-year-old is using the snub as fuel to fire her own bid for glory.

“I hope I can deal with [not being seeded] as well as Domi does,” Konta said.

“To be honest, I think this Wimbledon is another demonstration of how seeding is not the be all, end all. The depth we have in the women's game, how players can play very well in any certain match, I am not terribly worried of losing a number next to my name.

“I don't compare it with a year ago. I'm in a different place with different challenges. Yeah, basically I'm in a different place. I'm appreciating full how I am working now, how I'm competing now, trying to build on this now.

“I'm not living in the past.”

In Pictures | Wimbledon 2018

1/208

Konta was similarly emphatic over the suggestion she may have gone backwards in the past 12 months, despite the fact that she has not won more than one match at a Grand Slam since her progress to the last four at S219 a year ago.

“I actually haven't regressed. I think last year I don't think I added as much to my game as I would have liked. That hurt me towards the end of the year.

“This year, I actually feel like I'm heading in the direction I want to be heading in. I think I'm improving. I think sooner or later those results will come. If they don't, they don't. But I'm happy with where I am in my career and with the work I'm doing.

“I think I'm clearer on the way I want to play. I think I'm clearer with the shot selection that I want to do. I think I'm getting fitter. I think, yeah, I'm moving forward more, which is something that I've always wanted to do.

“Most importantly I think I'm clear on the way I want to play.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in