Konta's 2017 season ends with big announcements

For the second year in a row, the last few weeks of the season offer some suspense and shakeups for world No. 10 Johanna Konta.

The Brit announced that she is shutting down her 2017 campaign, taking her out of the running for an alternate spot in Singapore or an appearance in Zhuhai. She’s also parting ways with her coach of a year, Wim Frisette.

The decision and feelings of gratitude were mutual.

The partnership, which started in the 2016 preseason shortly after she split with her prior coaches, Esteban Carril and Jose-Manuel Garcia, was a successful one from the start.

In Australia, she won Sydney for her second career title. A semifinalist at the Australian Open in 2016, Konta reached the quarterfinals this year, losing to eventual champion Serena Williams.

Her strong play on hard courts continued when she won the Miami Open over Caroline Wozniacki. That victory lifted her to a then-career-high No. 7 in the world.

The clay-court season was a rough one for the 26-year-old, but she rediscovered her form on the grass. Konta reached her first career final on the surface in Birmingham and also reached a semifinal in Eastbourne. Pressure to perform in England has been intense for many Brits, but Konta showed she was up to the task this year as she became the first British woman since Virginia Wade in 1978 to reach the semifinals.

A return to hard courts didn’t pay dividends for Konta: After reaching the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, she lost four opening matches in a row, starting at the US Open and going throughout the Asia swing. She withdrew from this week’s tournament in Moscow, citing a foot injury.

Resetting and refocusing appears to be the game plan again as Konta prepares for the next season. If it goes for her like it did entering 2017, more success could be in store.

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