Johanna Konta Explains Decision Not to Play Fed Cup Playoffs Against Mexico

Published 04/13/2021, 4:54 AM EDT

As Britain battles Mexico in the Fed Cup playoffs this week, in the hope of sealing passage to the finals next year, their talisman Johanna Konta will be conspicuous by her absence.

The British No. 1 has withdrawn from the play-offs to give her dodgy knee more time to adjust to all surfaces. However, the current World No. 18 is gearing up for the European clay-court leg on the women’s tour.

Johanna Konta says she wouldn’t have skipped the Fed Cup playoff fixtures had they played on clay

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Speaking to news agency PA, the 29-year-old Konta said that she would have considered competing in the playoffs if the matches were played on clay as opposed to indoor hard courts.

In her absence, Heather Watson will carry Britain’s hopes in the playoff fixtures this week.

“Had it been on clay, that could have been a different conversation. I’m definitely not ruling myself out, I would love to still play in the competition,” Konta said.

However, she added that she is wary of putting her knees under too much stress at a time when she is still finding her way back into the Tour after a long spell on the sidelines with injury struggles. “I will definitely have to decide in a way that I know it will fit the needs of my body,” the British No. 1 said.

Johanna Konta’s nagging knee problem cut short a promising 2019 season

Konta’s nagging knee problem forced an early end to a hugely promising 2019 season. She has since only competed in 13 tournaments but fell early in them.

However, the British star has now made herself available for the Stuttgart clay-court event and is hoping to carry on injury-free through the entire European leg and make a strong run at the French Open.

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Konta pulled out mid-match in the opening round of the Australian Open with an abdominal injury and followed up with underwhelming runs at Adelaide International and the Miami Open.

The Briton would draw a lot of belief from her 2019 clay court campaign as she heads into the new season. She reached the finals in Rome and also had a run to the last four at the French Open last year.

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Priyabrata Chowdhury is a tennis author for EssentiallySports. He has been a print journalist for a decade, producing news pages for leading national dailies such as the Hindustan Times and The New Indian Express. His passion for sports eventually drove him to tennis writing.

Johanna Konta Explains Decision Not to Play Fed Cup Playoffs Against Mexico

Johanna Konta says she wouldn’t have skipped the Fed Cup playoff fixtures had they played on clay

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Johanna Konta’s nagging knee problem cut short a promising 2019 season