KONTA IS FACING A BATTLE TO ARREST THE SLIDE
JO KONTA meets victory and defeat with the same outward display of resolute positivity, making it difficult to know sometimes what she might really be thinking. What can be clearly discerned, though, is that she will head into the busiest part of the season no longer a top-20 player and without either of the two titles she won last year. The second of those was lost on Monday when she was beaten in the fourth round of the Miami Open by Venus Williams, who is nearly 38. Since making the last four at Wimbledon last year, the British No 1, who next week will fall from the top 20 for the first time since 2016, has a match record of 10-12. She carries that into next week’s WTA Tour event in Charleston, prior to the long journey to Osaka, where she will lead Britain’s women in their Fed Cup promotion play-off against Japan. Konta, 26, ploughs a lone furrow for GB near the top of the women’s game, which adds to the pressure she places on herself. She inferred after losing to Williams that the back issue she was treated for on court had a stress-related element to it. There was also an admission that she let her mind get clouded by the match they played in the Miami semi-final a year ago, which she won. ‘I think the stress is more just my ability to play the match today and without the thoughts of last year or without the thoughts of any external things,’ she said. ‘I’m actually quite happy with my performance here and I still feel I’m heading in the right direction.’
Rafael Nadal has declared himself fit to be included in Spain’s Davis Cup squad to play Germany next week.