THE French Open kicked off today – and Pippa Middleton turned up to show her support for British hope Jo Konta.
British number one Konta has not enjoyed the best of seasons as she looked to maintain her place in the higher echelons of the women’s game.
But she is looking to begin her quest to make solid progress at Roland Garros when she takes on Kazakhstan’s world number 93 Yulia Putintseva later this afternoon.
And cheering her on from the stands will be tennis fan Middleton, who is also a regular at Wimbledon.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s sister turned up with husband James Matthews in Paris as the tough Grand Slam on clay began.
Konta has plumtted back down the rankings since she made it through to the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year – and her form at the French is nothing to be proud of.
She has lost in the first round on both of her previous appearances there, but she insists she has the ability to be a threat this year.
Konta said: “People assume I don’t have a great relationship with the French Open because of my results in the past two years.
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“However I have experienced success here having qualified for the tournament – I’ve only qualified for two Slams, at the US Open and the French Open.
“That is an incredible highlight for me, especially at that point of my career, so I have great feelings of success here.
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“I feel I’m playing good on the clay right now and I back myself in every match I play so I consider myself a threat.
“I back myself on every surface.”
While Konta will carry British hopes, much of the interest in the women’s draw surrounds the return of Serena Williams.
Having taken time off following the birth of her child, Williams comes into the tournament aiming for nothing less than victory despite a false world ranking of 453.
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