When Johanna Konta announced that she has parted ways with her coach Esteban Carril after her best ever season on the tour, many were baffled by the decision. Bombarded with questions from the media, the Brit has now turned to the assistance renowned mentor Wim Fissette.
Fissette is a coach that has a wealth of experience of working with players on the WTA tour, despite being only 36-years-old. Under his guidance, the Belgian has mentored world No.1 players Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka. In some of his other projects, Fisette has worked with Sabine Lisicki and Simona Halep.
“‘I can definitely see from the outside how it can seem a bizarre or abrupt change.” Konta told reporters on Thursday about her coaching change.
“But when you’re in the relationship, when you’re in that day-to-day process things are a lot clearer. It’s not as much of a big deal basically. I think we definitely did an incredible amount of good work over the last two and a half years.”
“It’s not always about hanging on to things or clinging to things because they worked in the past.” She added.
The collaboration between Konta and Fissette is set to be formalised within the next few days. After conducting the first half of her off-season at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, the world No.10 will travel to France to work alongside her new coach at the Patrick Mouratoglou academy in Nice. The Brit is hoping that Fissette’s knowledge can help her achieve further milestones in 2017.
‘Most important is for us to complete a great pre-season together,’ said Konta.
‘I’m definitely looking forward to being a sponge and absorbing his experience and knowledge gained through the years.’
Whilst Konta aims to learn from her new mentor, she is determined to have her own say about the state of her game. Speaking about what she looks for in a coach, one of the most important aspects for the Brit is to work with somebody that respects her own opinion.
“I am a firm believer – and this applies to every single team member – that I’m looking for a partner. I like working together harmoniously. I like being involved in my own development, having my input. It’s basically about a partnership more than anything.”
Next month will see Konta aiming to defend a high amount of points at the Australian Open after reaching the semifinals at the most recent edition. Her first tournament of the season will be in China at the Shenzhen Open where she is currently scheduled to be the third seed.
