She broke Wimbledon history by becoming Britain's first woman to reach the semi-final at the tennis championship since 1978. And following a successful 2016, Johanna Konta has become seventh in the world and is now aiming for Glam Slam glory. Here at HELLO! Online, we have rounded up everything you need to know about the 26-year-old tennis champion.
EXCLUSIVE: Johanna Konta on being at the top of her game and why family will always rank as No.1
Where is she from?
The sporting ace was born in Sydney, Australia on 17 May 1991 to Hungarian parents, Gabor and Gabriella. When she was 14 years old she moved to the UK where she still represented Australia until she switched allegiance to Great Britain when she became an official citizen. She currently lives in Eastbourne. During last year's Australian Open, Johanna called the UK her "home". At a press conference, she said: "The running joke of the Australian Open [in 2016], every single press conference that I had, it was about 'Will you come back?' And every time I had to politely decline, and say I was flattered, which I am. But my sister still lives in Sydney, so there's still a lot of exciting things for me in Australia in terms of family. But my home is very much the UK."
How did she get into tennis?
Johanna has been playing tennis since she was eight years old. Before moving to the UK, the sports star was enrolled at the Sanchez Casal tennis academy in Barcelona for over a year. "I knew at the age of nine I wanted to be the best player in the world," she previously said via MailOnline. "That's the way it was. I don’t know why. I'm a competitive person, I guess. My mum was reminding me recently that it was a nightmare when I was younger. Everything was a race."
EXCLUSIVE: Johanna Konta talks about family life and Wimbledon
Her big break in sports
Johanna has represented Great Britain at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. She beat seven-time Slam winner Venus Williams in the semi-finals at the Miami Open in April. Shortly after that, the star overpowered former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki to secure her second title this year. Now ranked seventh in the world, the 5ft 11in golden girl is Britain's brightest hope in women's tennis in four decades. "Ever since I was a little girl, my dream has always been to win titles and be No. 1 in the world. It will always be that as long as I'm playing tennis and I'm doing everything in my power to make it come true," she recently told HELLO! Magazine. "Winning Wimbledon would be a childhood dream come true."
© Photo: Getty ImagesIs she dating anyone?
She is believed to be dating photographer Jackson Wade. According to Daily Mail, she has been dating the 24-year-old Wade since her Miami victory. She has previously revealed her desire to have her own family. "I would love a big family," she told HELLO! last year. "I have this vision in my mind where I have four or five children, and then, when I'm in my 60s, it’s Christmas and all my kids come home with their spouses and lots of grandchildren. By the end of it, there are 40 to 50 people in my house and I look around, feeling totally happy, surrounded by my family."
