Johanna Konta admits ‘it still hurts to hear’ that Wimbledon won’t take place this year

Johanna Konta says she is still struggling to come to grips with the fact that Wimbledon 2020 has been axed and concedes “we’re going to struggle” to get tennis going again.

For the first time since World War II, there will be no Wimbledon after the All England Club opted to cancel the grass-court Grand Slam due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It still hurts to hear and I don’t think it will hit me fully until it comes round and you naturally starting thinking, ‘I’m not playing Wimbledon now, what’s going on?'” Konta told the Evening Standard.

The world No 14 and the rest of the tennis community were supposed to be in Paris this week for the French Open, but Roland Garros organisers were forced to move the event to September.

“I’m a bit disorientated, as last week I would have been preparing to drive to Paris and then play there this week,” the British No 1 said. “Then, after that, it was getting on grass, which is always one of those exciting times for me.

“Grass is the most fun of all. We play it the least and, basically, it’s just home. I don’t have to get on a plane and it’s my favourite time of the year.”

Tennis has been on an enforced break since the start of March and the earliest possible return date is August.

Although British players are now allowed to train at tennis clubs again, Konta admits no one is quite sure when professional tennis will return.

“All we hear right now is maybes and ifs,” she said. “There’s no official announcement on a new starting date. With the new Government guidelines, we’re one of the lucky sports that can now practise, but competitively we’re going to struggle with how global it is.”

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