Saturday 8 June 2019 10:01, UK
Johanna Konta was pragmatic after her defeat in the semi-finals of the French Open and insisted there is "nothing for her to be disappointed in or upset about".
Konta fell 7-5 7-6 (7-2) at the hands of 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova and missed out on the opportunity to extend her career-best run at Roland Garros.
The 28-year-old, who had not won a main-draw match at the venue before this year, had three set-point opportunities in the opening set but failed to convert any before her opponent took her own. The British No 1 also led 5-3 in the second set.
Statistically, Konta had averaged just 17 unforced errors per match over the course of the tournament, but against Vondrousova she conceded 41. Her opponent concluded the match with 22 next to her name.
Despite the tale of the tape and the outcome, Konta made it clear she had no regrets about the match.
"There is nothing for me to be disappointed in or upset about," she said. "I lost a tennis match, but I also won five. I can only take the good things from that.
"Because, even today, I lost the match but I did the best that I could and I'm proud of that effort. I'm proud of that achievement in itself. So I can only look forward to playing at Wimbledon and the tournaments before that."
After a rain-filled Wednesday and the subsequent constraints that it put on the scheduling, both of the women's semi-finals were moved away from Court Philippe-Chatrier and onto outside courts.
It was a shift that disappointed WTA CEO Steve Simon, who labelled the move "unfair and inappropriate" before stating that he believed "other solutions were possible".
"I think the way it looks probably speaks for itself more than anything," said Konta about the switch of courts.
Then, asked if she felt like she was playing in the semi-final of a Grand Slam, she added: "In terms of the surrounding and the occasion, probably not.
"I think, more than anything, what is tiring and what is really unfortunate is that female athletes have to sit in different positions and have to justify their scheduling or their involvement in an event or their salary or their opportunities.
"And I think to give time to that is even more of a sad situation than what we found ourselves in today in terms of the scheduling.
"I don't want to sit here and justify where I'm scheduled. That's not my job. My job is to come here and entertain people, and I feel I did that. And I feel I gave people who paid for tickets every opportunity to enjoy their French Open experience.
"And if the organisers do not feel that is something that can be promoted and celebrated, then I think it's the organisers you need to have a conversation with, not me."
Although this semi-final loss will be marked by many as a missed opportunity, Konta's overall form on clay over the past few months must be hailed as a great positive.
She has won more matches on the surface than ever before and, with the exception of the semi-final against Vondrousova, has shown the type of clinical accuracy and steel that she did when she was at her career-high ranking of fourth in the world.
All eyes will now be on Konta's transition from the red clay to the green, green grass of home and the expectations upon her when it comes to the 2019 Wimbledon Championships will be higher than ever before.
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