AFP, Wuhan :
A “boring” mental technique which allows her to focus on match after match as if nothing else matters has left Johanna Konta knocking on the door of the world’s top 10 — not that she lets herself worry about such things.
Konta, 25, burst onto the scene at last year’s US Open and she has gone up another gear this season, winning her first WTA title and rising to 13th in the world.
As well as her victory at Stanford, Konta also became the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final in 33 years at the Australian Open, equalling Virginia Wade and Sue Barker.
She now has a chance of reaching the elite-and lucrative-eight-player WTA Finals in Singapore. But when asked about the season finale, Konta’s response is typically level-headed.
“It’s one of those things that’s the result of something else, so there’s not much point in worrying about it or craving it or stressing, because it’s not completely under your control,” she told AFP at the Wuhan Open in China.
“All I can do is focus on each match I get to play.”
Even in an era when mind coaches are common, Konta’s fierce commitment to her mental “processes” stands out.
She says she owes much to Spanish mind coach Juan Coto, with whom she started working with in 2014, transforming from a nervy player into one with steely focus. When asked about her mental technique, she explained: “It’s basically treating yourself kindly when its hardest to do so. And it’s just a habit to get into.”
“I’ve got my own processes with my team,” said Konta, before adding self-consciously: “Even if it almost sounds monotonous and boring, but it’s just trying to get yourself into a mental state of being where you are repeating the kind of things that you should be telling yourself.” – Deep breathing –
Konta uses deep breathing and visualisation, and repeats positive phrases to herself to ensure she focuses on the aspects of a match she can control, rather than worrying about possible outcomes or bad shots.
The results are plain to see on court: Konta has soared 137 places since the end of 2014 to 13th in the world, making her the highest ranked British woman since Jo Durie in 1983.
If Konta has an unusual approach to her tennis, she also had an unconventional upbringing: born in Sydney to Hungarian parents, she moved to Spain aged 14 to attend the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy, where Andy Murray also trained.
Her parents eventually followed, swapping Australia for Eastbourne on the south coast of England in order to be closer to their daughter.
Konta was also home-schooled, something she credits with teaching her discipline and mental skills which she now uses on court.
“It actually gave me some good skills, time management, also understanding of when I’m tired I still need to be able to switch my mind on in that way. And that’s not always easy,” she said.
Konta plays Germany’s Annika Beck in the first round with a strong run in Wuhan and at next week’s China Open capable of taking her into the top 10 for the first time.
