‘I need to give myself time’ – Johanna Konta reveals extent of knee injury after Australian Open exit

Johanna Konta was in reflective mood after she crashed out of the Australian Open in the first round, as she admitted her fitness is not there yet following injury.

The British number one came into the tournament on the back of a very recent knee injury that kept her out of the last few months of 2019.

And she was noticeably short of her best as she sank to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Tunisian Ons Jabeur in Melbourne.

“I think ultimately the main thing was to start playing again, and I am,” Konta told reporters after the match.

“And how I physically felt out there is obviously a massive tick for me compared to where I was in September of last year.

“Before Brisbane, I had been out for almost, yeah, four, four-and-a-half months. So it’s been quite a bit of time, not far off getting a protected ranking.

“I think giving myself that time to find a level that I want to play is going to be important.”

It was the first time that Johanna Konta has exited the Australian Open in the first round, and will still come as a disappointment after a stellar 2019 which saw her reach the French Open semi-finals, as well as the quarter-finals of the US Open and Wimbledon.

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