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Johanna Konta suffers first-round exit at French Open with error-strewn display against Coco Gauff

Konta ended with a tally of 41 unforced errors against Gauff - AFP
Konta ended with a tally of 41 unforced errors against Gauff - AFP

An empty Court Suzanne Lenglen made an appropriately surreal setting for Johanna Konta’s latest grand-slam misadventure. Playing against teenage phenomenon Coco Gauff, Konta’s radar went so badly awry that she must have been glad there were no fans there to watch.

A tally of 41 unforced errors in this 6-3, 6-3 defeat meant that Gauff was effectively starting every game 30-0 up. Indeed, it was the kind of match where you crossed your fingers every time the ball was struck. Gauff herself was not exempt from the jitters, committing 12 double-faults with her sketchy new service action. But her tactic of using slow slices to disrupt Konta’s rhythm proved brilliantly effective.

Both women wore long black leggings in an attempt to combat the icy temperatures. Asked whether the conditions had been a factor in her capitulation, Konta replied “I think it was difficult for everyone all day, so that wasn't specific to me. I think it's going to be a difficult fortnight, just with the forecast.

“But in terms of the match itself,” Konta added, “unfortunately I just didn't play very well. Nothing was working consistently enough. I kind of had semi opportunities to get something going, but I just didn't find a good enough level.”

The match had its fascinating moments, but not in a good way. The first set finished in an almost farcical 11-minute game in which Gauff failed to convert five opportunities to serve out, sending down a bunch of double-faults in the process. Unfortunately, every time the score came back to deuce, Konta would miss another regulation groundstroke, then hold her hands out in a gesture of bewilderment towards her coach and hitting partner Dan Smethurst.

On the coaching front, Konta opted not to continue her recent trial with Maria Sharapova’s former coach Thomas Hogstedt, who had accompanied her through the American swing. But she does seem to be missing the gentle support of Dimitri Zavialoff, the softly spoken Swiss who helped her so much last year – and whose departure during the Covid-19 lockdown was a result of Zavialoff’s own personal circumstances. Smethurst was formerly the assistant to both men, but has now stepped up until the next recruitment process is complete.

Whatever the explanation, the contrast between Konta’s grand-slam results in 2019 and 2020 could hardly be more striking. Last year, she won 14 matches at this level, reaching the semi-finals here in Paris as well as the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and the US Open. This year, she has won just once at the majors, and that against compatriot Heather Watson in New York just under a month ago.

There is one consolation, at least. The peculiar rules of pandemic tennis mean that Konta can hold on to last year’s points from both the French Open and the US Open, preventing her from sliding out of the world’s top 20. Nevertheless, British tennis fans should be concerned that both Konta and Andy Murray – the two mainstays of the national game in recent years – have struggled so badly this year.

Konta wasn't impressed with her own performance against Coco Gauff - Getty Images
Konta wasn't impressed with her own performance against Coco Gauff - Getty Images

It is certainly a dispiriting situation to see our three most distinguished players all go out of this event before Monday morning. Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady both play tomorrow, against Daniel Elahi Galan and Jiri Vesely respectively, while Heather Watson takes the court on Tuesday. Someone needs to put in a strong showing or 2020 will finish as the most abject of seasons. The year when only one Briton – Norrie at the US Open – reached the third round of a major.

Gauff, meanwhile, will now progress to a second-round meeting with qualifier Martina Trevisan. Her rebuilt serve is a liability at the moment, but her extraordinary speed and athleticism make her a hard opponent to hit through on these leaden courts.

In her own video-conference with reporters, Gauff revealed that a pep-talk from her father Corey – himself a talented basketball player in his day – had helped prepare her for the match. “In the warm-up, he was just telling me, ‘You're living your dream, not everybody gets to do that, just have fun on the court.’ His goal was to become an NBA player, and he didn't make it.

“That really changed my perspective,” added Gauff. “I was really nervous going into the match. That just calmed me down.”