Konta is ready to play despite '˜traumatic' fall

Johanna Konta has joined Andy Murray in declaring herself fit for Wimbledon.
Britain's Johanna Konta gives a press conference ahead of the Wimbledon Championships getting underway on Monday (Picture: Jed Leicester/PA).Britain's Johanna Konta gives a press conference ahead of the Wimbledon Championships getting underway on Monday (Picture: Jed Leicester/PA).
Britain's Johanna Konta gives a press conference ahead of the Wimbledon Championships getting underway on Monday (Picture: Jed Leicester/PA).

Britain’s two leading hopes found themselves the subject of injury scares in the build-up to the Championships.

Murray missed two days of training because of a hip problem while Konta hurt her spine in a fall at Eastbourne last Thursday.

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The world No 7 was on the brink of victory against world No 1 Angelique Kerber when she slipped and fell heavily, landing on her back and then hitting her head.

Konta was able to resume her match and defeated Kerber, but subsequently pulled out of her scheduled semi-final against eventual champion Karolina Pliskova.

She was guarded about her hopes of playing Wimbledon and rested on Friday and Saturday before a positive practice session yesterday.

Konta said: “I never was thinking that I wasn’t going to (play Wimbledon).

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“It was most important to just make sure that I was well enough. Definitely it was medically the right decision to not continue playing in Eastbourne, to give my body that chance to recover. It was a bit of a traumatic fall on the body.

“I’m definitely recovering really well. I’m taking it a day at a time.

“I practised (yesterday). I felt good. I’m definitely looking forward to playing my first round.

“Like Andy, I’d like to think that I’m fit enough to play seven matches, but I’m going to be taking it one at a time.”

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Until the injury, it had been a near perfect week in her home town for Konta, who claimed her first victory over a world No 1 on the same day she defeated French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Konta certainly stepped up her form on grass having previously lost to Donna Vekic in the final in Nottingham and Coco Vendeweghe in the second round in Birmingham.