Eugenie Bouchard will face Great Britain's Johanna Konta for the first time on Thursday in a highly anticipated Centre Court match. Bouchard was a Wimbledon finalist in 2014, while Konta, a semifinalist at this year's Australian Open, is now Britain's top ranked WTA player at No. 19.
“I’m very excited,” Bouchard said. “It’s always interesting to play a new player you haven’t played, who hits a different kind of ball. Every player has something different. I know that this is her house so I know there’ll be a good atmosphere.”
Bouchard, who reached three Grand Slam semifinals in 2014 but is currently ranked No. 48, says she loves the crowd being involved, even if her opponent will be the fan favorite.
“When everybody is against me I want to show them what I can do,” Bouchard said. “But the best thing is for the fans to enjoy it—whether they’re for her or for me.
The 25-year-old Konta had not won a match at Wimbledon in four tries before this year, but defeated Monica Puig in the first round. At the beginning of the 2015 season, Konta was ranked No. 150.
“[Konta] is an incredibly good player. That doesn’t change where her ranking is," said Bouchard. "She’s always a dangerous player to play against.”
Konta also does not see her rankings rise as a big change.
“I've worked my whole life, since I was eight years old, on becoming the best tennis player I could be," Konta said. “In that sense, I've been doing this for 17 years, so it didn't exactly happen from one day to the next.”