JOHANNA KONTA Engagement joy for the UK’s No. 1 female tennis player
NEWLY ENGAGED AND SET FOR WIMBLEDON ON THE PERFECT LOVE MATCH AND HER ACE ON-COURT STYLE
She’s looking forward to taking Wimbledon by storm, but Britain’s No. 1 female tennis player Johanna Konta tells hello! that there will be one item missing as she steps out on court in her new tennis attire: her dazzling diamond engagement ring.
“I don’t play in jewellery, so I won’t be wearing it on court,” she says of the magnificent sparkler that her fiancé, Jackson Wade, presented to her after recently proposing on her 30th birthday. It was a case of love-all as Jackson, 28, marked Jo’s big day by asking for her hand in marriage – certainly different from last year, when she marked her birthday with a low-key lockdown celebration of a movie night and TV dinner.
Jo helped design the ring – a large oval diamond surrounded by smaller gems in a platinum setting – which was crafted by awardwinning jeweller Taylor & Hart.
“I woke up 30 and engaged and it’s been all smiles since,” she wrote, revealing the beautiful piece o f jeweller y on Instagram a few weeks after the engagement.
“I was surprised, but at the same time I wasn’t,” smiles Jo, who shares a home with Jackson, whom she has been dating since they met four years ago when the photographer was doing some work for the Lawn Tennis Association. “The way he did it was exactly how I’d imagined it would be for us – at home in intimate surroundings. It was all very us. “Everyone tells me that your 30s are your best years, so I’m looking forward to them,” she continues. “I always keep the things I love close to me – my fiancé and our dachshunds, Bono and Gizmo, so we have our own little family and that brings a lot of joy.”
Jackson will be part of Jo’s bubble at Wimbledon where, due to the pandemic, she and the other players are confined to hotels when not competing in the world- famous tournament. Despite the restrictions, the former world No. 4 is thrilled to be competing.
“I’m really excited,” she says. “Just being able to have a grass court season this year is so much fun, and Wimbledon is the pinnacle of that. I feel humble and grateful to be back as we couldn’t play last year, so it will be a special experience for us all.
“I take pride in doing my best,” adds Jo, who in June won her first grass court title – the Viking Nottingham Open – making her the first British player to win a WTA tournament on home soil since Sue Barker triumphed at the Brighton International in 1981.
“Women’s tennis is very exciting, and we have a lot of new champions coming up. You can’t afford to underestimate any opponent, but equally there’s no opponent you don’t have a chance of beating, either. So, whoever I play, I will be prepared.”
FASHIONABLE FOOTSTEPS
Jo is certainly serving up ace style on court this week in an outfit she helped design with sporty fashion brand ellesse. The stunning ensemble – a white dress with sunray pleats teamed with a red- trimmed tailored jacket – is inspired by an outfit worn by US tennis great and threetime Wimbledon champion Chris Evert, who was a sporting icon in the 1970s and ’80s. “It’s a cool, classic look, an homage to Chrissy and her style,” says Jo.
“I’ve always been interested in ellesse’s heritage side and bringing the past into the present and this outfit marries retro with current styles.
“I’m super excited about the jacket,” she adds.
“When I tried it on, I could have walked out wearing it there and then.”
‘There’s no
opponent you
don’t have a
chance of beating. I’ll be
prepared’