Jo set to ‘put body at risk’
Q AI think you can tell by my smile. It’s absolutely amazing to be back at this tournament. I’ve got really good memories from last year. Beating Ekaterina Makarova was definitely up there with a handful of my best matches. It was a special moment, especially as it was my debut here. I also won’t forget it because I thought I had won when I got to seven points in the new third-set tiebreak – and you need 10. I’m just so excited to get back out on court. The circumstances are different this year as you have dropped down the world rankings to No 317 since last year. I think 2019 has been a learning experience for me. It’s something that I need to build from and move past quite quickly. I’m feeling really positive about 2020 already and I think I’m in a really, really good place. I spent a lot of time working mentally and physically to set myself up for a really good year.
You have pulled out of a couple of events – are you fully fit now?
My back is completely fine now, I have no pain whatsoever and I’m in a good place with that. I just had a tiny ab strain from the last couple of weeks so I’ve just been looking after that, a little bit precautionary. I think it’s smart and I’m learning from the Fed Cup a little bit. Was it frustrating that you suffered a stress fracture in your back during a Fed Cup tie against Kazakhstan that ultimately didn’t matter because the competition has since been revamped? I don’t think so. It’s a match against Zarina Diyas that’s going to be in my memory bank for the rest of my life and is something I’m going to use to get me through a lot more matches. I’m really happy I played it. Obviously, it’s difficult, you get injured, but it’s just what it is. It’s part of the sport, you move on, you live and learn and that’s what I’m going to do. Are you playing in the Fed Cup this year?
I’m really passionate about the
Fed Cup. As you can tell from last year,
Q AQ AQAQ AAre you pleased to be back at the Australian Open?
I put my heart and soul into absolutely everything playing for my country. I haven’t made a final decision on the Fed Cup this year so far. I’m going to see how it goes, see how my body is.
You took a lot of criticism for pulling out of the French Open. In hindsight, would you have done anything differently? It was a last-minute decision. Unfortunately, you can’t tell with these things. I did absolutely everything I could to ensure that I could try to play the tournament. I sought a lot of medical advice. Ultimately, I couldn’t play on the day and, trust me, I would much rather have been on court. I’m a fighter and I want to be playing matches.
What did you miss most about being on tour?
Just playing the sport. I’m such a competitor out there, I love being on the court and just emotionally putting everything into a match is huge for me. I
Q AQ Aguess adrenaline at the same time. I’ve got a lot of passion for this sport, I’ve missed it a lot.
Was being able to watch your beloved Leicester City more the only good thing about the injury. And can they finish above Manchester City?
I think we can go all the way! No, I’m really proud of how far we’ve gone so far this year. I love being a Fox myself and so I hope they can keep going. I managed to go and watch them a couple of times. That was a definite upside to my injury and I enjoyed every second of that. It’s a big passion with me.
You play fifth-seed Elina Svitolina, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open – that’s not the easiest first-round draw. I’ve got absolutely nothing to lose. I’m in a really good place physically and I feel like I’ve got the game to beat her if I play well on the day.
QAQAJO KONTA has pledged to play through the pain barrier at the Australian Open after announcing she will not feature in the Fed Cup this year.
The British No1 has had only one match since the US Open because of a nagging knee problem. “It hurts sometimes but it’s all about pain management,” said Konta. “Any given time I’m out on court I put my body at risk, and that is just part of the life I live.”
The world No13, who faces Tunisian Ons Jabeur in the first round on Monday, has already told Fed Cup captain Anne Keothavong she will not play for her country before the Tokyo Olympics start in July.
“It’s a combination of things – an Olympic year, scheduling things slightly differently, for the longevity of my body, and to be able to come back in following years and hopefully play more Fed Cup,” said Konta.