Konta ready to turn tears into triumph
LESS than three months ago, Simona Halep watched from courtside as Johanna Konta left an arena in tears after being verbally abused.
The Romanian’s Fed Cup captain, Ilie Nastase, had already been escorted from the stadium, aiming a parting shot at the Brit that does not bear repeating.
The following day, Halep beat Konta to help give her country victory over Great Britain.
Today, they will meet on Centre Court, the bitter history of that weekend in Constanta just part of a backdrop that makes it the biggest game in British women’s tennis in the last three decades.
So far, Konta has been impenetrable to the pressure that swells with each victory, as the thought of a first home Wimbledon winner in the ladies singles for 40 years embeds itself in the public imagination.
Indeed, the expectation seemed to elevate her late on in an epic 7-6 4-6 6-4 win over Caroline Garcia.
But this will be a different level. There is now genuine belief, among committed and casual, that Konta can win this tournament.
Or, as she likes to dryly put it, “be involved for the full two weeks”.
Looking to halt that is a No.2 seed who will become the world’s top-ranked player if she wins.
Throw in the nasty narrative of the Fed Cup and you have a game bursting with pressure.
Halep was only watching when Konta had to take a tearful break from her match with Sorana Cirstea back in late April – the Romanian accusing her of gamesmanship.
But there is clearly a lingering coldness between the British player and Halep.
Asked, after setting up the last-eight game by beating Victoria Azarenka, if she had sympathy for what Konta went through, Halep shrugged: “I didn’t talk much about that subject with her. Just after the match, I said sorry if she felt bad.
“The public was very fair. But, yeah, she knows how she felt there and I don’t want to comment”
Halep’s comments echoed those made by her Romanian team-mate Cirstea at the time.
By her heavily-guarded standards, Konta’s response seemed downright prickly.
She said: “They were not in my shoes. They were not being verbally threatened. I think it’s difficult for them to understand my position.
“I’m playing another opponent. I’m not playing against a crowd. I’m not playing past experience.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to again play against one of the best in the world and to enjoy being in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.”
But there is no doubting the meeting will be a major test of her self-drilled mental calmness. The stage has never been bigger.