She
was trying to process an agonizing quarterfinal defeat at Wimbledon, but British No.1 Johanna Konta labeled a reporter "patronizing" and "disrespectful" after he questioned her big-match mentality. The 28-year-old Konta had led 4-1 in the first set but succumbed 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to unseeded Czech 33-year-old Barbora Strycova, prompting some probing questions.
Konta explained how difficult her opponent was, but one reporter pointed to her 33 unforced errors among a number of other issues and wondered whether she could have done better at key times.
"Is that in your professional tennis opinion?" she fired back.
He replied: "No, that's just as a watching spectator with everyone else on Centre Court willing you on."
"I don't think you need to pick on me in a harsh way," added Konta, who also lost to an unseeded Czech in the semifinals of the French Open in June.
"I mean, I think I'm very open with you guys. I say how I feel out there. If you don't want to accept that answer or you don't agree with it, that's fine.
"I still believe in the tennis that I play. I still believe in the way I competed. Yeah, I don't have much else to say to your question."
The reporter wasn't done yet.
"I'm just asking you as somebody who presumably wants to go on from here, learn from this, win a Grand Slam one day. Is it not something..."
Konta interrupted: "Please don't patronize me.... In the way you're asking your question, you're being quite disrespectful and you're patronizing me.
I'm a professional competitor who did her best today, and that's all there is to that."
