Johanna Konta staying grounded as dream run continues

Omnisports

January 27, 2016 11:08 AM

Johanna Konta is reaching new heights at the Australian Open but the high-flying Brit is not getting ahead of herself in Melbourne.

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Konta became the first British woman since Jo Durie at the 1983 US Open to make the semi-finals of a grand slam thanks to a 6-4 6-1 win over qualifier Zhang Shuai on Wednesday.

The unseeded 24-year-old, who had never made it past the fourth round of a grand slam prior to the Australian Open, will face seventh seed Angelique Kerber for a spot in Saturday's decider.

And while she continues to set new ground amid her dream run at Melbourne Park, the conservative and measured Konta is refusing to dwell on her exploits.

"I'm incredibly humble and grateful for the position that I'm in. Trust me, I understand how much this means to my family, to the people that have stuck by me through years and years and years of ups and downs," Konta told reporters.

"But in terms of what it means to me, I'm just so happy that I'm enjoying what I'm doing. That is me living my dream. When I was a little girl I dreamt of winning grand slams and being number one in the world. That dream stays the same I think as long as you're doing the career that you're in.

"I think it would be silly for that to change. That's why I started this sport; that's why I'm still in this sport. But to not live and die by your wins and losses, it's very important to take your enjoyment and take your positivity from things that you have control over, or as much control as possible.

"Otherwise you come into the danger of having very highs and lows, which is not a nice place to be. Middle ground is nice."

Konta, who was just relieved to make it through to the second round after upstaging former world number one Venus Williams, added: "I still approach every match exactly the same. That's one thing I get very excited about and anxious about, that I want to go out there and just make sure I am able to leave it all out there, whatever needs to be done."I'm happy I was able to bring a good level again today. I enjoyed it."

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