British No 1 has also been knocked out of the Italian Open and now must focus on her build up to the French Open
Friday 18 September 2020 20:12, UK
Johanna Konta has split from coach Thomas Hogstedt and is out of the Italian Open after a third-round loss to Garbine Muguruza.
The British number one, who reached the final in Rome last year in a breakthrough performance on clay, has had a number of close battles with Muguruza in the past but this was much more straightforward for the Spaniard, who came through 6-4 6-1.
Swede Hogstedt is one of the most experienced coaches on the WTA Tour, having previously worked with Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki.
The partnership had raised a few eyebrows, with former British No 1 Laura Robson describing it as a "very weird choice" because of their respective personalities.
Konta batted that away but appears to have concluded that they are not the right fit after all.
"Whenever you get to know a coach you have to be open to seeing if it's something that works for you but it just wasn't something that worked for either of us," Konta said. "Things have to match up, you have to be able to bring the best out of each other, and we just didn't feel that it was going to be a good fit."
Konta said she would not be rushing to appoint a new coach and will rely on her hitting partner, Dan Smethurst, for support and advice during the French Open, which begins on September 27.
Ranked 13th, Konta has had three different permanent coaches since 2016. The most recent of those, Frenchman Dimitri Zavialoff, ended their successful partnership during the summer because of personal circumstances.
"I don't think I change coaches often," she said. "I worked with Dimitri for a year and a half and I didn't want that to end. Since then I've still continued to work with Dan so there's a lot of continuation there."
The British No 1 will return home for a few days before heading to Paris to begin her preparations for Roland Garros, where she reached the semi-finals 12 months ago.
"I think I have every chance of doing well," Konta added. "I was playing some good tennis here, which I'd like to build on and do better in Paris. I also was playing some good tennis out in the States.
"No-one is going to be feeling comfortable [on clay], no-one's going to be feeling mega prepared. Everyone is dealing with something.
"Overall I'm happy with the match I played yesterday, I think there were still some good things today, a lot of things I can do better and I'll get another chance to do better in Paris."
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