Konta’s fears over Covid
JOHANNA Konta fears tennis might not get back to normal for the rest of her playing career. The British number one is preparing for the French Open, which begins on Sunday having shifted from its usual springtime slot in the calendar because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It will be only Konta’s ninth tournament of an interrupted season, with the tour forced to take a complete break between March and August.
Hopes that the situation might have eased substantially by 2021 have rapidly faded and Konta would not be surprised to see difficulties and restrictions continue for several years.
The 29-year-old told the PA news agency: “There’s a very big hopefulness that come January 1, 2021 everything’s going to be normal and unfortunately it’s not the case.
“It’s going to be very difficult and very different for a long time, possibly for the rest of my playing career. But hopefully in time, not just tennis and not just sport but everyone will find a way to come through this, or live alongside it depending on what route this period of time takes.”
China’s decision not to hold any international sporting events in 2020 was a major blow for the WTA, with most of the tour’s autumn calendar taking place in Asia including the lucrative WTA Finals in Shenzhen.
Konta is hoping to play in the Ostrava Open next month, which currently is the only tour-level event scheduled for the rest of the year.
“I know they are trying to relocate tournaments for one year only and bring opportunities but it’s always going to be an uphill battle because it’s just the nature of what our season looks like,” said the British number one.
“I think the men have a lot of opportunities still in Europe but that’s what their season already looks like. We got the short end of the stick there but that’s just the reality of what we have going on in the world.”
Konta is well-placed to discuss what a difficult time this has been for tennis and the WTA thanks to her position on the player council.
While players were stuck at home, Konta was involved in discussions around how the sport could get going again.
“It was incredibly busy and very stressful,” she said. “At one point we were having two or three calls a week for weeks on end.”
Things will certainly not be normal at Roland Garros. As well as the autumnal conditions, players face strict measures in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in a city where cases have soared in recent weeks.
The French Tennis Federation has made clear that any player testing positive, or who has been in close contact with a team member who tests positive, will be barred.