Wimbledon 2017: Johanna Konta upbeat after Venus Williams defeat

Britain’s Johanna Konta says there is no reason why she cannot win Wimbledon in the future after losing to five-time champion Venus Williams in this year’s semi-finals.

Konta was aiming to become the first British woman to reach the singles final since Virginia Wade won in 1977.

But the 26-year-old lost 6-4 6-2 to the American on Centre Court.

“I’m not satisfied with where I am now,” she said. “I want to keep pushing myself to be the best I can be.”

She added: “I definitely have a lot more to improve on. It is exciting for me and exciting for my team.”

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Konta became the first home player to reach the women’s last four since Wade reached that stage again in 1978, also going a stage further than world number one Andy Murray in this year’s men’s draw.

“I would sum up my whole Wimbledon experience as memorable,” she said.

“It was special to be playing on such great courts with massive support.”

Konta had played in a Grand Slam semi-final before, losing to Germany’s Angelique Kerber at the 2016 Australian Open, but saw attention increase as she looked to emulate Wade’s achievement at SW19.

The Australia-born player, whose family moved to Eastbourne when she was a teenager, had only won one match in the main draw before this year’s run.

She was made the favourite by some bookmakers as early as the third round, expectations rising further after she beat second seed Simona Halep in the quarter-finals.

Konta will move into the world’s top five when the rankings are updated after Saturday’s final between Williams and Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.

“I feel there is no reason why I would not be in a position to win a title like this one day,” she said.

“Reaching the top five is a nice achievement but I’m looking to keep getting better.”

Wade & Williams back Konta for major title

Three-time Grand Slam winner Wade, 72, said it was “sad” Konta could not win on the 40th anniversary of her Wimbledon win.

“Maybe 41 years will be her number,” she told BBC Sport.

“She didn’t fall apart. She was just beaten by someone who had a lot of experience.

“Next year she could make it, or make it to the final.”

After beating Konta, Williams added: “She played an amazing tournament. She showed so much courage and tough situations against players in form.

“I feel she wants these majors and will have the opportunity.”

Williams ‘excited’ about her comeback final

Williams, 37, will contest her first Wimbledon final since 2009 on Saturday when she meets Muguruza, who thrashed Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova in Thursday’s other semi-final.

Williams is the oldest Grand Slam singles finalist since Martina Navratilova finished runner-up at Wimbledon in 1994.

The American has battled back to the top of the game after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune illness that causes fatigue and joint pain, in 2011.

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“I definitely had issues. I had a lot of issues,” said the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

“This year has been amazing in terms of my play, playing deep into the big events actually.

“I’m excited about being in another final and trying to take it a step further.”

At the start of the tournament, Williams broke down in tears as she was questioned by reporters about a Florida car crash in which a man died.

“There have been a lot of ups and down and I try to keep my head, no matter what is happening in life,” she added.

Analysis

Martina Navratilova, nine-time Wimbledon champion on how Konta can improve:

“She can use her hand more on her second serve and make the ball it jump. Jo is tall enough and she’s got a nice motion that she doesn’t make the most of.

“The forehand has to be more steady. She can work on the transition game of moving to the net. The backhand slice – she doesn’t use it at all, but it would make a good backhand better.”

Virginia Wade, Britain’s 1977 Wimbledon champion:

What has happened in the last few days, with Jo doing so well and the 40th anniversary, it would have been so much fun if she had won the title.

But we loaded Jo up with all the pressure and all the others have gone under the radar. No-one gave Venus any pressure.

I thought Jo played really well but every time she had a bit of an edge, Venus came up with something better.

Chris Evert, American 18-time Grand Slam singles champion:

Konta winning a Slam is very much a possibility. She plays great on grass courts. The way women’s tennis has opened up she is absolutely a contender.

Tracy Austin, American two-time Grand Slam singles champion:

Konta will learn from this experience. You have to remember that she had not gone past the second round before at Wimbledon.

She came through match after match and played such clutch tennis, especially against Halep.

Her improvement rate has been phenomenal and she’s still young – very young in tennis terms. She has only been among the elite for a year or two.

There is room for improvement and the ceiling is much higher. That is very promising.

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