Fresh off a productive pre-season with her new coach, the British No 1 has come a long way since her surprise success last year...
Monday 16 January 2017 23:04, UK
In a year of startling election results, Jo Konta's nomination for the 2016 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year accolade was a comfortingly expected affair, as was her subsequent landslide victory.
The Briton's ascent through the rankings has been meteoric - an approach of the pinnacle of women's tennis heralded most strikingly by her performance, just twelve months ago, in Australia, where she became the first British female in 33 years to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam. Not since Jo Durie at Flushing Meadows in 1983 had one of our own progressed so very deeply into the draw of a major.
There was a fairytale ending on the blue courts of Melbourne Park, of course, but it was not Konta's. The German Angelique Kerber eventually ended the Briton’s majestic run, before going on to win the tournament - the first of her two majors that season, and sign of her imminent coronation as the very best in the world.
Konta has since reached three WTA finals, the China Open, Stanford Classic and the Apia International in Sydney - earning victories in the latter two. Ousted last minute from the draw of the season-ending Tour Finals in Singapore by a resurgent Svetlana Kuznetsova, the current world No 10 enjoyed her best season yet.
The 'yet' is important, for - with a new coach and the most open Grand Slam draw in some time - this could well be Konta's tournament.
Empress of the women's game, Serena Williams, has no heir apparent. Compelling cases could be made for Kerber, for Simona Halep, or for youngsters Katerina Siniakova or Daria Kasatkina, but there's the sense that a reordering at the top of the women’s game is imminent, and Konta has been backed by Martina Navratilova, Virginia Wade, and other greats to be in the mix when that occurs.
Annabel Croft, once British No 1 herself, is another believer in Konta’s potential:
"Jo has got such a great work ethic and she's a great professional in every aspect. She really goes about her business, leaving no stone unturned," Croft said.
Such graft has produced a seemingly effortless two-handed backhand and excellent conditioning, but it is the serve Croft cites as the centre of Konta's arsenal.
"It's not the smoothest action, but it's extremely effective with a lot of pace and a lot of depth," Croft added. "She gets plenty of free points on it, but it's also very difficult to attack her second serve, which I think is key because it enables her to get on the front foot so she doesn't have to defend as much.
"That serve is a stand out on the women's tour because there are other players who might have a good first serve, but whose second is attackable, whereas with Jo, she's on the front foot and looking to be the attacker more often than not."
It would be a welcome, but major, surprise if Konta had any British company for the second week in Melbourne. Although joined in the main draw by Heather Watson and Naomi Broady, Konta is the only one currently with the pedigree and consistency to pose a real threat over the next fortnight.
Her newly-lofty ranking ought to ensure easily negotiable opening rounds, but - further on - giants of the game await. There may be a few notable absentees this year in the women's draw, but it will be far from plain sailing for Britain's hottest prospect.
Konta must also contend with the ramifications of some significant changes to her backroom staff. Her sports psychologist, Juan Coto, passed away in November, around the same time the player split with coach Esteban Carril, with whom she had enjoyed such a fruitful partnership.
Coto, just a phone call away for Konta during tournaments, orchestrated her transformation from a nervy, frustrated on-court figure to the level-headed athlete we see today, and his loss must be taken into account in Melbourne, Croft argues.
"She's had to deal with that tragic news, which I'm sure would have been a huge shock to the system," Croft said.
"I get the impression there will be so much emotion there - she'll probably feel like a lot of what she's doing is retaining some of the information and tools he gave her to go out there and be successful. I think there will be an emotional feeling and a connection for playing a little bit for him as well."
The split with Carril came as a surprise to many, but his replacement - Wim Fissette - is an exciting appointment. The Belgian has presided over Grand Slam final runs for three of the game's most dynamic players: Sabine Lisicki, Simona Halep, and Victoria Azarenka - and also worked with Kim Clijsters upon her return to the game, a comeback including three majors and a stint in the global top spot.
Konta has often stressed that she looks for a partnership in her coaching arrangements; not for this Briton are the authoritarian figures with immovable training regimes favoured by some. In Fissette, Konta has opted for a pleasant, understated demeanour, and shrewd tactical awareness. She claims they have already established an excellent working relationship.
Before the 2016 Australian Open, Konta's career prize money pot stood at £600,000. Last season alone, she accrued £1.8m. Such spending power will allow the 25-year-old to invest in her most experienced and sizeable backroom team yet, including Andrew Fitzpatrick, who has previously worked with British rising star, Katie Swan.
Despite the emotional upheaval of the last few months, Konta has appeared ebullient during pre-season, which has included the rarely employed cross training disciplines of trampolining and rock climbing. Symbolic of her intentions to continue to scale the world rankings, perhaps?
Croft certainly approves: "I think Jo has picked a really good coach in Fissette. He comes with a lot of credibility and it will be interesting to see how it goes.
"I think anything is possible with her, and she never surprises me with the wins that she gets. I would look for her to go very deep into the draw again."
If last year's progress through the Australian Open draw was the giddy ascent of an opportunistic underdog, this season is Konta's opportunity to prove her mettle. The Briton is far from a flash in the WTA pan after her latest success in Sydney, and should be deemed a genuine contender to lift the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
Check out Johanna Konta's progress and our game-by-game updates from Andy Murray's matches at the 2017 Australian Open by following our blog on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad or our Twitter account @skysportstennis.
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