1. Early Life and Background
Johanna Konta's early life was marked by her Hungarian heritage, her birth in Australia, and a significant move to England that ultimately shaped her tennis career and national allegiance.
1.1. Birth, Family, and Early Years
Johanna Konta was born on 17 May 1991 in Sydney, Australia. Her parents, Gábor and Gabriella, were both Hungarian immigrants who had met in Australia. Gábor worked as a hotel manager, and Gabriella was a dentist. Konta has a half-sister named Eva Mumford, from her father's previous marriage. Her paternal grandfather, Tamás Kertész (1929-1989), was a professional football player who played for Ferencvárosi TC and earned two international caps for the Hungary national football team in the 1950s. He later coached the Ghana national football team.
Konta spent her childhood in Collaroy on Sydney's Northern Beaches. She was introduced to tennis at an after-school program when she was eight years old. At the age of 14, she attended the Sánchez-Casal Tennis Academy in Barcelona, Spain, for 15 months to further develop her skills. During this time, her parents made the decision to settle in Eastbourne, England, where Konta subsequently grew up.
1.2. Nationality and Allegiance Change
In May 2012, Johanna Konta became a British citizen and concurrently switched her sporting allegiance from Australia to Great Britain. This change allowed her to represent Great Britain in international competitions. When her nationality became a subject of debate at the 2016 Australian Open, where she was labeled a "Plastic Brit," Konta stated that she was "very pleased to be representing Great Britain," emphasizing that it was where she essentially grew up. She holds three passports: British, Australian, and Hungarian.
After her retirement from professional tennis, Konta married her long-term boyfriend, Jackson Wade, on 11 December 2021. On 12 September 2022, she announced the birth of their daughter. Konta resides in East Sussex, where her applications to build a home in the protected Ashdown Forest have drawn some controversy.
2. Professional Career
Johanna Konta's professional tennis career spanned over a decade, marked by significant ranking surges, breakthrough Grand Slam performances, and WTA Tour titles, before ultimately concluding due to persistent injury.
2.1. Early Years (2008-2014)
The initial phase of Konta's professional career saw her gradually establish herself on the ITF Women's Circuit before making her first appearances in Grand Slam main draws and eventually breaking into the top 100.
2.1.1. First ITF Titles and Grand Slam Debut
Konta won her first ITF singles title in May 2008 at a 10.00 K USD tournament in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, just before her 17th birthday. In February 2009, as a wildcard, she achieved a significant breakthrough at a 25.00 K USD tournament in Sutton, England, defeating the top seed, Corinna Dentoni, and two other top 250 players before losing in the final. She followed this by winning the 25.00 K USD Waterloo Challenger in Ontario, Canada, in June, defeating Heidi El Tabakh. Despite a difficult second half of 2009, she rose from 668 to 360 in the WTA rankings.
In 2010, Konta regained form, reaching the quarterfinal of a 50.00 K USD tournament at Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. The following week, she won her first 50.00 K USD title on green clay courts in Raleigh, North Carolina, defeating Lindsay Lee-Waters in the final. She also reached another 50.00 K USD quarterfinal, two 25.00 K USD semifinals, and won her second ITF singles title of the year at a 10.00 K USD event in Westende, Belgium, where she beat Nicky Van Dyck with the loss of just one game. Konta also made her first appearance in a WTA Tour qualifying draw at the 2010 e-Boks Danish Open in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The 2011 season saw a slight drop in her ranking. She reached the main draw of a WTA Tour event for the first time in Copenhagen in June, losing in the first round. In July, she won her fifth ITF singles title at the GB Pro-Series event in Woking, England, where her opponent, Laura Robson, retired. After an injury-interrupted period, Konta won another 10.00 K USD event in Madrid, Spain. However, she ended the year ranked 305.
2012 brought welcome results, including a 25.00 K USD title at Rancho Mirage in February. She recorded her first main-draw win in a full WTA Tour event in Copenhagen, defeating seventh seed Ksenia Pervak. By the end of April, she had risen nearly 100 places to No. 211. Having gained British citizenship in May, Konta received a wildcard for Wimbledon, where she lost a tight three-set match in the opening round to 28th seed Christina McHale. A 50.00 K USD final appearance at Lexington in July maintained her momentum. The following month, she qualified for the US Open, upsetting world No. 59, Tímea Babos, in the first round to secure her first career Grand Slam main-draw win. She lost in the second round to Olga Govortsova after letting a 5-2 final-set lead slip. This run propelled her into the world's top 150 for the first time, ending the year ranked 153.
2.1.2. Breaking into Top 100
At the 2013 Australian Open, Konta lost in the second qualifying round. In February 2013, she made her Fed Cup debut for Great Britain, winning a doubles match with Laura Robson. She later played in the Fed Cup World Group II play-off against Argentina, losing her singles match.
In April, at the Portugal Open in Oeiras, Portugal, Konta defeated top-100 player Yulia Putintseva in qualifying but retired in the next round due to injury. She also reached the second qualifying round at the 2013 French Open. In June, she reached the semifinals of the 75.00 K USD Nottingham Trophy. Konta received a wildcard for Wimbledon, where she lost to 16th seed Jelena Janković in the first round. Following Wimbledon, she won a 25.00 K USD event in Winnipeg, Canada. She then claimed the Vancouver Open, a 100.00 K USD event, defeating Sharon Fichman in the final after eliminating top seed and world No. 41, Hsieh Su-wei. This propelled Konta to a then career-high ranking of 115.
At the Guangzhou International Women's Open, Konta qualified for the main draw and upset fourth seed and world No. 38, Peng Shuai, before losing in the quarterfinals. A week later, at the Ningbo International Open, she again reached the quarterfinals but retired with an abdominal strain. She officially became the British No. 2 behind Laura Robson and ended 2013 ranked 112.
Konta began 2014 at the Shenzhen Open, losing in qualifying for singles but reaching the doubles semifinals. At the Australian Open qualifying, she lost in the second round for the second consecutive year. In February, she helped Great Britain in the Fed Cup, but Britain were eliminated at the pool stage after losses to Simona Halep and Tímea Babos.
In May, Konta reached the final qualifying round of the French Open for the first time. She then moved into the grass-court season, beating 14th seed Kurumi Nara at the Birmingham Classic. At the Eastbourne International, she defeated 2013 Wimbledon junior champion Belinda Bencic and held a match point against world No. 42 Camila Giorgi before losing. Her first-round success at Eastbourne was enough to propel Konta into the top 100, reaching a career-high of 89 in July. However, she later fell back as she failed to defend points from the previous year. She gained direct entry into the Wimbledon main draw, losing in the first round to Peng Shuai. She also played at the İstanbul Cup and Connecticut Open before suffering a first-round loss at the US Open to Shahar Pe'er. She ended 2014 ranked 150.
2.2. Rise to Prominence (2015-2016)
The period from 2015 to 2016 marked a significant turning point in Konta's career, as she rapidly ascended the rankings, achieved her first major successes, and established herself as a top-tier player.
2.2.1. US Open Breakthrough and Top 50
Konta started 2015 by failing to progress through qualifying at Shenzhen, Sydney, and the Australian Open. She then participated in the Fed Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group I for Britain, where her heavy defeat against Olga Govortsova was noted by team captain Judy Murray as a "catalyst for change" for Konta's later success. Between the Australian and French Opens, she focused on the ITF Circuit, winning her first-round match in every tournament and reaching three quarterfinals, one semifinal, and a final in Jackson, Mississippi.
Konta made her main-draw debut at the French Open after qualifying without dropping a set, but narrowly lost in the first round to Denisa Allertová. Returning to the UK for the grass-court season, she reached the quarterfinals at the Nottingham Open, and at the Birmingham Classic, she took a set off world No. 13 Karolína Plíšková before losing. In her hometown of Eastbourne, Konta upset Zarina Diyas, then claimed a major scalp by beating world No. 8 and recent Grand Slam semifinalist, Ekaterina Makarova. She continued her run by defeating 14th seed Garbiñe Muguruza, before losing to Belinda Bencic in a three-set quarterfinal.
At Wimbledon, Konta faced former champion Maria Sharapova on Centre Court, losing efficiently. After Wimbledon, she won the ITF event in Granby, Quebec, without dropping a set. She then reclaimed the Vancouver singles crown and secured the doubles title with Maria Sanchez.
The Vancouver victory moved Konta back into the world's top 100 ahead of the US Open, where she qualified for the main draw. She went on an impressive run, defeating Louisa Chirico, ninth seed Muguruza (in the longest women's match at the US Open since 1970, lasting 3 hours and 23 minutes), and 18th seed Andrea Petkovic, extending her winning streak to 16 matches. Her run was ended in the last 16 by two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová. The points accumulated lifted Konta to a new career-high singles ranking of world No. 58.
Konta's first event after the US Open was the Wuhan Open, a Premier-5 event. After qualifying, she defeated Andrea Petkovic again, then advanced when former world No. 1, Victoria Azarenka, retired. In the third round, Konta faced top seed and world No. 2, Simona Halep, and famously came back from a 1-5 deficit in the deciding set to win six consecutive games and claim the victory. She exited in the quarterfinals after a three-set battle with Venus Williams, who went on to win the tournament. Konta's run in Wuhan saw her break into the top 50 for the first time, reaching world No. 49, and she became the British number one. Her final event of the season was the Linz Open, where she reached the second round as a lucky loser. She ended 2015 ranked 47. Konta was nominated for the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year award, but it was won by Timea Bacsinszky.
2.2.2. First Grand Slam Semifinal and Top 10
Konta had a slow start to 2016, with early exits in Shenzhen and Hobart. Her next event was her main-draw debut at the Australian Open. In the opening round, she caused a major upset by defeating eighth seed Venus Williams in straight sets on Rod Laver Arena. She followed this with wins over Zheng Saisai and Denisa Allertová, setting up a fourth-round clash with 21st seed Ekaterina Makarova. Konta recovered from a set down to defeat Makarova and reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. She then defeated qualifier Zhang Shuai in the last eight, becoming the first British female player to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal in 32 years. Her run ended in the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Angelique Kerber in straight sets. Following this, she rose to a new career-high of world No. 28 for singles and passed the 1.00 M USD mark for career earnings.
After a brief break due to illness, Konta returned for the spring hardcourt swing in North America. She reached the second round of the Mexican Open and the quarterfinals of the Monterrey Open. At the Premier Mandatory events in Indian Wells and Miami, she reached the fourth round and quarterfinals, respectively. Her performance in North America saw her rise to a new career-high ranking of 21.
Konta had a disappointing start to the clay-court season, with early losses in Stuttgart and Madrid (where she retired due to illness). Her form improved in Rome, where she upset world No. 7 Roberta Vinci before exiting in the third round. At the French Open, she was the 20th seed, marking her first time being seeded at a Grand Slam, but was eliminated in the opening round by Julia Görges.
She entered the grass-court season as world No. 18. After early losses at the Nottingham Open and the Birmingham Classic, Konta reached the semifinal in Eastbourne, including a victory over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová.
2.2.3. Maiden WTA Tour Title
Konta was the first home player to be seeded in the ladies' singles at Wimbledon in over 30 years, taking the No. 16 spot. She recorded her first win at the venue by beating Monica Puig in the opening round, but lost in the next stage to former finalist Eugenie Bouchard. Following Wimbledon, Konta transitioned to hardcourts for the Stanford Classic. In the semifinals, she defeated Dominika Cibulková, who was leading the WTA in match wins at the time. Konta then defeated two-time former champion Venus Williams in the final to claim her first WTA Tour title. The following week, she reached the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open in Montreal, but a surprise defeat to Kristina Kučová prevented her from breaking into the top ten.
Konta represented Britain at the Rio Olympics in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Seeded tenth in singles, she reached the quarterfinals before being knocked out by Angelique Kerber. In doubles, she partnered with Heather Watson and reached the second round. In mixed doubles, she teamed up with Jamie Murray, losing in the opening round to the eventual gold medalists, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock.
After the Olympics, Konta competed at the Cincinnati Open, reaching the third round. At the US Open, she recorded victories over Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Tsvetana Pironkova, despite a health scare during the latter match where she collapsed on court. She quickly defeated 24th seed Belinda Bencic in the third round, matching her run to the last 16 from the previous year, before being eliminated by Anastasija Sevastova.
The final weeks of the season presented Konta with the opportunity to break into the top ten and qualify for the WTA Finals for the first time. At the Wuhan Open, she reached the quarterfinals after defeating Zhang Shuai and Carla Suárez Navarro, her fifth top ten win of 2016. The following week in Beijing for the China Open, Konta defeated Sevastova in a rematch of their US Open meeting, and then overcame Karolína Plíšková, reversing a previous 0-5 head-to-head record against the Czech. She progressed to the semifinal by beating Zhang Shuai for the second successive week, and defeated Madison Keys in the last four to reach her first Premier Mandatory final. This victory over Keys saw Konta enter the top ten for the first time in her career, making her the first British woman since Jo Durie in 1984 to be ranked amongst the elite of the WTA. It also lifted her into a qualifying place for the WTA Finals. Konta was beaten in the final by Agnieszka Radwańska.
Konta's attempt to consolidate her Tour Finals place in Hong Kong was cut short when an abdominal strain forced her to pull out of her second-round match. She slipped outside the qualifying spots when Dominika Cibulková won the tournament in Linz, securing the last place for the Slovak. However, the subsequent withdrawal of Serena Williams gave Konta another chance, but Svetlana Kuznetsova won the title in Moscow at the Kremlin Cup, claiming the final spot less than 24 hours before the start of the event. Konta remained at the venue as an alternate but was unused. She would have been the first British woman to qualify for the Tour Finals since Jo Durie in 1984.
Following her absence from the WTA Finals, Konta entered the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China. She topped her group with wins over Samantha Stosur and Caroline Garcia, guaranteeing she would finish the season ranked inside the WTA's top ten, the first Briton to achieve this since 1983. Her season ended with a semifinal loss to Elina Svitolina. Konta led the 2016 WTA Tour in points won behind second serve and ranked third for top-ten wins, hardcourt-match wins, and tie-breaks won. She also featured in the top ten of several other statistical categories. Konta was nominated as one of the WTA's Most Improved Players for the second successive year, winning the award comfortably with over 80% of the vote. Her end-of-season ranking was No. 10. After the conclusion of the season, Konta announced that she was parting company with her coaching team of Esteban Carril and José Manuel García, despite her "stellar year."
2.3. Major Successes (2017)
The year 2017 proved to be Konta's most successful on the WTA Tour, highlighted by her biggest career title and a historic run at Wimbledon.
2.3.1. Miami Open Champion
Konta began working with Belgian coach Wim Fissette during pre-season training for 2017. Their partnership started with Konta reaching the semifinals of her first event in Shenzhen. The following week in Sydney, she claimed her second WTA Tour title, avenging her Beijing loss to world No. 3, Agnieszka Radwańska, in the final, without losing a set throughout the tournament.
Ahead of the Australian Open, Konta was widely regarded as a contender for the title. She recorded victories over Kirsten Flipkens, Naomi Osaka, former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki (hitting 31 winners to six and facing no break points), and 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova to reach the quarterfinals without dropping a set. Konta was then beaten in the last eight by the eventual champion, Serena Williams.
Her next action was in the Fed Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group I. Konta won her three singles matches as Britain reached a promotion play-off against Croatia. In the play-off, Konta suffered a surprise singles defeat against Ana Konjuh, but then teamed up with Heather Watson to win the decisive doubles match and send Britain to a World Group II play-off later in the year.
Watson became an opponent as Konta won an all-British clash in the second round at Indian Wells, before exiting at the next stage against Caroline Garcia. The WTA Tour then moved to Miami, where Konta progressed to a quarterfinal meeting with third seed Simona Halep. Konta famously came back from being twice two points from defeat, when Halep served for the match in the second set and again in the subsequent tie-break, eventually winning in three sets. She then defeated Venus Williams in the semifinal to reach her second Premier Mandatory final. There, she defeated Wozniacki to win the biggest title of her career to date, ensuring her re-entry into the WTA's top ten at a new career-high ranking of No. 7. Given that Premier Mandatory events are second only to Grand Slams in prestige, some commentators rated Konta's Miami triumph as the most notable title for a British woman since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon 40 years previously.
2.3.2. Wimbledon Semifinalist
Following her Miami triumph, Konta returned to Europe for the Fed Cup World Group II play-offs against Romania. The tie was marked by several incidents involving Romanian captain Ilie Năstase, who was ultimately removed from the court and had his accreditation revoked after verbally abusing Konta and British team skipper Anne Keothavong. Konta broke down in tears over the abuse, and play was suspended. Upon resumption, Konta, who had been trailing, won five successive games to win the match. Konta subsequently lost to Simona Halep as Romania won the tie. Năstase was later fined and banned for his behavior.
In the wake of the controversial Fed Cup tie, Konta returned to WTA play for the clay-court season. Her struggles on the surface continued with early exits in Stuttgart, Madrid, and Rome. Konta was seeded seventh in the French Open, but was upset by Hsieh Su-wei in the first round, remaining yet to win a main-draw match in Paris.
Konta began the grass-court swing in Nottingham, where as the top seed, she reached her first Tour-level final on home soil and grass, but was upset by Donna Vekić. The following week saw Konta eliminated in the second round in Birmingham. She then competed at the Eastbourne International. Following a bye, Konta beat Sorana Cîrstea, French Open champion Jeļena Ostapenko, and world No. 1, Angelique Kerber, to reach the semifinals. She pulled out of the tournament on the morning of her semifinal due to a back injury sustained against Kerber, raising questions about her fitness for Wimbledon.
Konta showed no ill-effects of the injury as she faced Hsieh Su-wei in the opening round of Wimbledon for the second time in a row, defeating her in straight sets. In the second round, she recorded a three-set victory over Donna Vekić in a rematch of the Nottingham final. Wins against Maria Sakkari and Caroline Garcia saw Konta reach the quarterfinals, where she defeated second seed Simona Halep, denying Halep the world No. 1 ranking. This made Konta the first British woman to reach the Wimbledon singles semifinals since Virginia Wade in 1978. She was beaten in the last four by Venus Williams. Konta's ranking subsequently reached a new career-high of world No. 4.
Having opted to skip the defense of her Stanford title, Konta began her North American hard court swing in Toronto. Her opening match was a loss to Ekaterina Makarova despite holding match points. The following week in Cincinnati, she reached the quarterfinals with wins over Kiki Bertens and Dominika Cibulková, before losing to Simona Halep.
Konta then lost her first match in her next four tournaments, including the US Open (to Aleksandra Krunić), Tokyo, Wuhan, and Beijing. As a result, her ranking fell to No. 10. After withdrawing from the Kremlin Cup due to a foot injury, she narrowly missed out on qualification for the WTA Finals for the second year running. On 18 October, Konta revealed that she and coach Wim Fissette would be parting ways, and she would be ending her season. Her end-of-season ranking was No. 9. For her achievements in 2017, including reaching the Wimbledon semifinal and winning a Premier Mandatory title, Konta was nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, placing 11th.
2.4. Struggles with Form (2018)
The 2018 season saw Johanna Konta struggle with consistency and performance, leading to a drop in her world ranking and notable frustrations, including public criticism towards the media.
Konta hired Michael Joyce as her new coach during the off-season. In her first tournament of the year in Brisbane, Konta reached her first quarterfinal since August 2017 before retiring with a hip injury. She was unable to defend her title at Sydney the following week, losing in the first round. At the Australian Open, Konta was knocked out in the second round by world No. 123, lucky loser Bernarda Pera.
Following the Australian Open, Konta played for Great Britain in the Fed Cup Europe/Africa Group 1. She secured straightforward wins over Maria João Koehler and Anett Kontaveit as Britain topped their pool to set up a play-off against Hungary. Konta beat Fanny Stollár as Britain progressed to the World Group II play-offs. Despite hopes for a home tie, Britain were drawn away to Japan.
On resuming WTA play, Konta was eliminated before the quarterfinals of her next three tournaments in Doha, Dubai, and Indian Wells. She then failed to defend her title in Miami, losing in the fourth round to Venus Williams. She also exited early in the clay-court event at Charleston.
Konta next played in Britain's Fed Cup tie with Japan. She won both her singles rubbers, beating Kurumi Nara and recently crowned Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka. However, Britain lost the other two singles rubbers, sending the tie to a deciding doubles match. Konta and Heather Watson were late replacements, and though they won the opening set, Japan fought back to win the rubber and claim overall victory.
After the Fed Cup, Konta returned to clay-court action. Her struggles on the surface continued with an early defeat in Madrid. Her form picked up in Rome, where she reached the third round before exiting to Jeļena Ostapenko. Konta lost in the first round of the French Open to No. 93, Yulia Putintseva, in straight sets, marking her continued inability to win a main-draw match at the French Open. In her post-match press conference, she publicly criticized the media.
Grass courts brought a temporary upturn as Konta reached her first final of the year in Nottingham, defeating defending champion Donna Vekić in the semifinals. She aimed to become the first British player to win a WTA Tour-level title on home soil since Sue Barker in 1981, but was beaten in the final by Ashleigh Barty. This resurgence was short-lived, as Konta suffered a first-round loss in Birmingham, and second-round losses in Eastbourne and at Wimbledon. Post-Wimbledon, her ranking dropped to 50, her lowest since September 2015.
Konta's first tournament after Wimbledon was in San Jose. She was drawn against multiple Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the first round and handed Williams the heaviest defeat of her career, winning 6-1, 6-0. She then beat Sofia Kenin before losing to fourth seed Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals. She followed this by reaching the third round in the Canadian Open, before losing in the first round of Cincinnati. Konta's ranking had slipped outside the top 32, leading to her being drawn against sixth seed Caroline Garcia in the opening round of the US Open, where she lost, continuing a poor run in Grand Slam matches since her Wimbledon semifinal.
Post the US Open, Konta suffered early exits in Tokyo, Wuhan, and Beijing. Following these defeats, Konta split with coach Michael Joyce and agreed to a trial with Dimitri Zavialoff for the final event of the regular WTA season in Moscow. This provided an upbeat ending to her season, as she defeated Elise Mertens, Daria Gavrilova, and Aliaksandra Sasnovich to reach her second semifinal of the year. She lost to Daria Kasatkina in the last four, who went on to win the tournament. This run moved Konta's end-of-year ranking up to 39 in the world. Following the successful trial, Konta hired Zavialoff as her coach on a permanent basis.
2.5. Return to Form and Deep Runs in Majors (2019)
The 2019 season marked a significant return to form for Johanna Konta, characterized by deep runs in Grand Slam tournaments and a climb back into the world's top 20.
Konta started the year at the Brisbane International by defeating third seed Sloane Stephens, before losing to Ajla Tomljanović in the second round. She received a lucky loser berth from qualifying for the Sydney International but withdrew with a neck injury. At the Australian Open, she defeated Tomljanović in a rematch, but then lost to Muguruza in a marathon three-set match that began very late and ended after 3 AM local time, marking the latest start in Australian Open history.
Konta next played the Fed Cup in Bath, marking the first time the British team had played on home soil in 26 years. Konta recorded wins over Dalila Jakupović, Maria Sakkari, and Anna Bondár as Britain topped their opening-round pool. Following a victory for teammate Katie Boulter in the opening rubber, Konta beat Aleksandra Krunić in a dramatic match to seal Britain's progress to a World Group play-off, despite collapsing off-court after the end of the second set and requiring a medical timeout. Konta later won a Fed Cup Heart Award for her efforts.
Konta opted not to play in Doha or Dubai, returning to WTA action for the North American spring hardcourt swing. Her first event was in Acapulco, where she reached the quarterfinals. At Indian Wells, she reached the third round, and in Miami, she lost in the second round.
Konta returned to Europe to rejoin Britain's Fed Cup team for their World Group II play-off against Kazakhstan at the Copper Box Arena in London, which was the first time the venue hosted international team tennis. Konta twice recovered from a set down to beat Zarina Diyas and Yulia Putintseva, extending her winning run in Fed Cup singles play to 11 matches. Teammate Boulter completed Britain's victory, securing promotion to World Group II for 2020.
After Fed Cup duties, Konta entered the Morocco Open as the seventh seed. She saved three match points in her first-round match before rallying to win. She then ousted second seed Hsieh Su-wei to reach the semifinals, where she defeated Tomljanović to reach her first-ever clay-court final. Konta lost in the final to Maria Sakkari despite being a set and a break up.
At the Madrid Open, she defeated Alison Riske before losing to third seed Simona Halep. The following week in Rome, Konta once again defeated Riske, then overcame seventh seed Sloane Stephens in three sets. Her third-round match, played later the same day due to rain, saw her defeat Venus Williams to move into her first Premier-level clay-court quarterfinal. Konta defeated Czech teenager Markéta Vondroušová to reach the semifinals, and advanced to the final after defeating Madrid Open champion Bertens. In the final, she was beaten by Karolína Plíšková in straight sets. Following her Italian Open run, Konta's ranking improved to 26 in the world, securing her a seeding at the upcoming French Open.
Konta came to the French Open having not won a main-draw match at the venue in four previous attempts. She finally broke her "curse" by beating Antonia Lottner in the first round and went on to advance to the semifinals. Her run included a victory over Vekić in the fourth round and a third win of the year against Stephens in the quarterfinals. By reaching the semifinals, Konta became the first British female player to reach that stage of the French Open since Jo Durie in 1983. Konta was defeated in the semifinal by the unseeded Vondroušová in two tight sets. She returned to the top 20 in the WTA rankings after this run.
Konta started her grass-court campaign with a win over Anett Kontaveit in Birmingham. She lost to Jeļena Ostapenko in the second round. At Eastbourne, Konta reached the third round before losing to Ons Jabeur. She was seeded 19th at Wimbledon and went on to reach the quarterfinals, picking up her fourth win of the season against Stephens and defeating two-time former champion Petra Kvitová en route. Konta was upset in the last eight by Barbora Strýcová.
Despite losing in the first round of both her US Open warm-up events, once at the US Open, Konta went on the best run of her career to date at the venue. She beat former top ten player Daria Kasatkina and third seed Karolína Plíšková en route to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Elina Svitolina. She did not play in another tournament following the US Open and finished the year ranked No. 12.
2.6. Later Career and Ranking Fluctuations (2020-2021)
The final years of Konta's professional career saw mixed results, with a significant title win tempered by ongoing struggles with form and injuries, ultimately leading to her retirement.
2.6.1. 2020 Season
Starting her season at the Brisbane International, Konta lost in the first round. She then participated at the Australian Open, where she suffered a first-round exit to Ons Jabeur. Her next tournament was at St. Petersburg, where she lost in the second round. At the Monterrey Open, she reached the semifinals, defeating notable players like Kim Clijsters, before falling to Marie Bouzková. She was scheduled to play at Indian Wells, but the tour was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her first event upon the tour's resumption was at Lexington, where she lost in the first round to Bouzková for the second consecutive meeting. She reached the semifinals at the Western & Southern Open, which was held in New York due to the pandemic. She defeated Kirsten Flipkens, Vera Zvonareva, and Maria Sakkari, before falling to the eventual champion, Victoria Azarenka. At the US Open, she beat her compatriot Heather Watson in the first round before losing to Sorana Cîrstea in the second round. Her next tournament was at Rome, where she defeated Irina-Camelia Begu, before falling to Garbiñe Muguruza in the third round. She then participated at the French Open, where she lost in the first round to Coco Gauff. She ended the year ranked No. 14 in the world.
2.6.2. 2021 Season and Nottingham Title
At the Gippsland Trophy in Melbourne, Konta won her first match of the year against Bernarda Pera, before losing to Irina-Camelia Begu. At the Australian Open, Konta retired from her first-round match against Kaja Juvan with an abdominal injury. Konta subsequently lost in the first round to Shelby Rogers in Adelaide, second round to Petra Kvitová in Miami, second round to Anastasija Sevastova in Madrid, and first round to Jeļena Ostapenko in Rome. Konta lost in the first round of the French Open to Sorana Cîrstea.
Konta won her first title in four years at the Nottingham Open on grass, defeating Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, Kateryna Kozlova, Alison Van Uytvanck, and Nina Stojanović to reach the final, where she beat Zhang Shuai in under an hour.
Konta had to withdraw from Wimbledon because one of her team tested positive for COVID-19, forcing her to endure a quarantine.
At the Canadian Open in Montreal, Konta defeated Zhang Shuai in the first round via retirement. She then played third seed Elina Svitolina, and Konta claimed her first win against Svitolina after losing their first five matches. In the third round, Konta was forced to withdraw against Coco Gauff due to injury.
Next, she played in the Western & Southern Open, but lost in the first round. She withdrew from the US Open, and she did not play another match for the rest of the season. Her ranking had dropped to No. 82 in October 2021, and, after residual points from the 2019 season were dropped, her ranking fell to No. 113 in the world by 29 November 2021, her lowest ranking since August 2015.
3. Retirement
On 1 December 2021, Johanna Konta officially announced her retirement from professional tennis. The primary reason cited for her decision was a persistent and chronic injury to her right knee, which had significantly impacted her ability to compete at a high level and had led to her ranking dropping outside the top 100.
4. Playing Style
Johanna Konta was known for her aggressive baseliner playing style, characterized by flat, quick, and powerful groundstrokes. Her physical attributes included a height of 5.9 ft (1.8 m) and a weight of 154 lb (70 kg). She was adept at creating sharp angles, enabling her to hit winners from various positions on the court. According to WTA match statistics in 2016, she ranked fourth in ace counts, won 62% of her service points, 74.8% of her service games, and won most of her second-serve points at 52.7%.
Konta preferred to attack from the baseline rather than approaching the net for volleys. She was often criticized by commentators for a perceived lack of mental toughness and a limited range of tactics, or a "plan B," in challenging match situations. However, after hiring Dimitri Zavialoff as her coach, she began incorporating more drop shots and attempted to come to the net more frequently, though she never appeared entirely comfortable there. While grass was her stated favorite surface, the majority of her professional success came on hard courts.
5. Endorsements
Throughout her career, Johanna Konta secured endorsement deals with several prominent sports and lifestyle brands. Her clothing sponsor was Asics until 2019, when she switched to Ellesse. For her racquets, she endorsed Babolat, specifically the Babolat Pure Aero range. In 2017, she became the first UK ambassador for Nature Valley cereal bars as part of their partnership with British Tennis. In 2019, British accessories brand Radley named Konta as its second celebrity brand ambassador, featuring her as the face of its "Radley Spirit" campaign. As part of this, Konta also curated a collection of her favorite pieces from their spring/summer 2019 collection, known as the Johanna Konta collection.
6. Coaching History
Johanna Konta's coaching history reflects a journey of seeking the right guidance and philosophy to maximize her potential, with various coaches playing significant roles in different phases of her career.
Konta initially trained at the Sánchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona. After her parents settled in Great Britain in 2005, she also trained at the Roddick Lavalle Academy in Texas. She later trained at the National Tennis Academy in Roehampton with LTA-supplied coaches Louis Cayer and, from mid-2012, Julien Picot. In December 2012, Konta was among 21 players to receive LTA funding through Team Aegon.
At the start of 2014, she split from Picot for personal reasons. In August 2014, when the LTA closed the National Tennis Centre as a base for elite players, Konta began working with Spanish coach Esteban Carril. By the end of 2014, Konta started receiving help from mental coach Juan Coto, a friend of Carril's based in London. A significant reduction in her LTA funding for 2015 encouraged Konta to move her training base to Gijón in northern Spain, where Esteban Carril and José Manuel García oversaw her rapid rise. Supporters of the LTA's austerity argued this was a benefit of their tough love policy, though Konta herself disagreed, stating that the funding cuts had put her career in jeopardy. After her mental coach Coto died suddenly in November 2016, Konta maintained that his influence would continue to benefit her, stating he "gifted me with an incredible amount of tools and habits."
Konta split with Carril and Garcia in December 2016. Prior to the 2017 season, she recruited Belgian Wim Fissette to be her main coach. Konta and Fissette mutually ended their partnership in October 2017 after a period of poor performance in Asian tournaments. Konta retained the rest of her team and announced she would seek a new coach "as soon as possible," thanking Fissette for his "patience, hard work and expertise."
On 6 December 2017, Konta announced she was hiring Michael Joyce for the 2018 season. However, on 10 October 2018, Konta announced her split with Joyce. She immediately commenced a trial period with Dimitri Zavialoff, a former coach of Stanislas Wawrinka, and hired him on a permanent basis three weeks later, following a successful trial at the Kremlin Cup.
7. Career Statistics
Johanna Konta's professional career saw her achieve significant milestones, particularly in singles, with a strong win-loss record and deep runs at Grand Slam events. Her overall career prize money totaled 10.01 M USD. She won four singles titles and reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 on 17 July 2017. In doubles, she did not win any WTA Tour titles, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 88 on 1 August 2016. Her Fed Cup record stands at 20 wins and 10 losses.
7.1. Grand Slam Performance Timelines
7.1.1. Singles
| Tournament | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | SR | Win-loss | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | Q2 | Q2 | Q1 | SF | QF | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 6 | 11-6 | 65% |
| French Open | A | Q2 | Q3 | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | SF | 1R | 1R | 0 / 7 | 5-7 | 42% |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | SF | 2R | QF | NH | A | 0 / 8 | 11-8 | 58% |
| US Open | 2R | Q1 | 1R | 4R | 4R | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | A | 0 / 8 | 12-8 | 60% |
| Win-loss | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 3-3 | 9-4 | 9-4 | 2-4 | 14-4 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 0 / 29 | 39-29 | 57% |
7.1.2. Doubles
| Tournament | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | SR | Win-loss | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | 0 / 1 | 1-1 | 50% |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 2 | 0-2 | 0% |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 3R | A | A | 0 / 5 | 3-5 | 38% |
| US Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0-0 | |
| Win-loss | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 / 8 | 4-8 | 33% |
8. Awards and Recognition
Johanna Konta received several awards and recognitions throughout and after her professional tennis career for her achievements and impact on the sport.
In 2016, Konta was recognized as the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year. This award acknowledged her rapid ascent in the rankings and her significant performance improvements that year.
In 2017, after reaching the Wimbledon semifinal and winning her first Premier Mandatory title, Konta was nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. She placed 11th among the 12 nominees in the public vote.
In 2019, for her strong performances in the Fed Cup, particularly her dramatic comeback win that secured Britain's progress to a World Group play-off, Konta received a Fed Cup Heart Award.