BRITAIN’S rising star Johanna Konta has withdrawn from this week’s Volvo Car Open in Charleston with a shoulder injury.
On Saturday Konta won the biggest title of her career, beating Caroline Wozniacki in the final of the Miami Open, to move up from 11 to seven in the WTA world rankings.
But the 25-year-old British number one will not be fit to take part in South Carolina this week, citing a “slight shoulder injury and sickness”.
Konta has expressed her regret at missing the tournament.
In a post quoted on WTA’s media outlets, she said: “I’m very sorry to have to withdraw from Charleston. This is a great tournament, and I was really looking forward to taking part.
“I was battling a slight shoulder injury and sickness during Miami, which has taken hold since the end of the tournament.”
Sydney-born Konta has risen up the world rankings from a lowly 146 less than two years ago.
Yet after her dramatic progress in recent months, she is targeting Grand Slam titles and even a world No 1 ranking.
Last October she became only the fourth British woman ever to reach the top 10.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer has set his sights on claiming an eighth Wimbledon title this summer after the latest chapter of his remarkable 2017 ended with him winning the Miami Open.
The 35-year-old’s success in Florida, coming with a straight sets victory over Rafael Nadal, means he has won the biggest three tournaments of year following titles at the Australian Open and Indian Wells – all after missing the final six months of last season with a knee injury.
Federer has confirmed he will now skip the majority of the clay-court swing and not play another tournament until the French Open, which begins on May 22, but his attention is already on the third grand slam of the year five weeks later.
“Wimbledon has to be the biggest goal now,” Federer, who last won at SW19 in 2012, told reporters.
“The American hard courts I guess as well. The French Open, to some extent, we will see what happens, there is no pressure there really.
“All the grass is important to me. The second part of the season is the big priority.
“My knee was strange on the clay last year so maybe being away from it as much as possible is a good thing as well, even though I don’t think it was because of the clay as such.
“But my physio, my fitness guy, thought that could be a good thing not to be too much on clay. I feel very comfortable, very confident it is the right decision.”
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