Humphrys slammed for ‘grilling’ Britain’s Konta
TENNIS star Johanna Konta has insisted she is a British athlete after her nationality was questioned by BBC presenter John Humphrys, inset.
On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday, the veteran interviewer asked Ms Konta: “So, what are you?” after he got the country of her birth wrong.
Mr Humphrys said: “We talk about you as being British, but you were born in Hungary, Australian citizenship, and I seem to remember that the Australian high commissioner, when you won the quarter-final, said: ‘Great to see an Aussie win’, and we were saying: ‘Great to see a Brit win’ – so, what are you?”
Ms Konta, 26, laughed before replying: “I was actually born in Australia to Hungarian parents, but I have lived half my life here now, almost. So, I’m a British citizen, and I’m incredibly proud to represent Great Britain. I have done so officially since 2012.
“I have also represented Great Britain at the Olympics, so I’m definitely a British athlete.”
He continued: “You look back and you were, so I read, the 388th-best junior in Australia. Normally people wouldn’t look at you and say, ‘She is a future champion’. What was it about you that attracted people’s attention?”
The world number four hit back saying the statement was not true because she had been an under-12s national champion.
“It is not entirely accurate because I won the under-12 national and was one of the best in the country,” she said. “That is the way it is with sport. There’s a lot of things that become misleading and half-truths.” Humphrys, 73, ended the interview by cutting in to say: “You’ll be back in Wimbledon next year, and maybe, yeah, get through to the finals or whatever.”
Ms Konta said: “I will definitely be working towards that. The tennis season is long so we have a lot of opportunities to perform well.”
Ms Konta was knocked out of Wimbledon by Venus Williams after becoming the first British woman to reach the semi-finals for 39 years.
Cardiff-born Mr Humphrys’ tone in the interview drew some sharp criticism on social media.
One user wrote: “John Humphrys interviewing Konta – aggressive, sexist, patronising, inaccurate and xenophobic. How is this allowed BBC?!”