MELBOURNE—When Johanna Konta saw the Australian Open draw and learned that she would be facing former No. 1 Venus Williams, she said that she would be happy even if the match only lasted an hour.
Konta ended up upsetting the No. 8-seed Williams, 6-4, 6-2.
Venus, 35, has won seven Grand Slams, including five Wimbledon titles and two U.S. Open trophies. But she hasn’t won a major since 2008.
Though the American isn’t the star she once was, Konta still really admires her.
“When the draw came out and I saw who I was playing, I was like, 'OK, I just hope to be out there playing for more than an hour,” the 24-year-old Brit said. “I think it would be silly to look at Venus' age and somehow consider that as a reflection of her level. I think it's irrelevant how old she is because she's such a champion with so much experience and so much knowledge about the game.
"Even if she's playing with one leg out there, you've got to really take care of things on your own. She's an incredible player. I have all the respect for her in the world.”
Last year, Konta rose from No. 147 to No. 47, reaching the fourth round of the U.S. Open. She upended Garbine Muguruza and Andrea Petkovic in New York before falling to Petra Kvitova. In Wuhan, she beat Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep before falling to Venus, 7-5, in the third set.
Konta said that she has improved, but it’s all about being multilayered.
“It really is a process,” she said. “It's about putting in the work day in and day out, whether the knocks or the good things come. It's just being able to be not too high or too low. Just keep trucking on.”