Johanna Konta and British women's tennis
The world is still buzzing from the news of Johanna Konta's recent semi-final achievement in the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Newitts takes a look below at Johanna Konta's achievement and what it could mean for women's tennis in the future.
Johanna Konta
Johanna Konta was an unknown name in the tennis world until the WTA tour last summer when she was named as the "fastest rising player on the WTA tour", jumping from 146th seed to enter the women's top 50. Konta is currently ranked 47th in the world.
After her successful run at the Australian Open tennis championship came to an end this week, with a semi-final defeat by German seventh seed Angelique Kerber, Konta will now be ranked 28th in the world in the next rankings updates.
Konta was the first British woman in 33 years to play in a Grand Slam semi-final and it is hoped that her success on the court will give women's tennis and sport in general a great boost.
Women's tennis history
The success of British women winning major championships has been few and far between in the past century. The last woman to win a grand slam was Virginia Wade, when she won Wimbledon in 1977.
Furthermore, there has been very few female tennis players ranked in the top 50 during the past 50 years. In 2013, teenage sensation Laura Robson made 50th place whilst Heather Watson occupied 47th, but it was the first time since 1987 that a pair of women had occupied such high spots.
Konta was the first woman since 1983 to reach the final four of a grand slam.
The future for women's tennis
The recent success of Konta can only have a positive influence on the sport. Konta's progress over the past 12 months has been "phenomenal" according to GB Davis Cup captain Leon Smith and the only way is up from here.
Greg Rusedski , a British tennis player who reached the US Open final in 1997, tweeted "Great run for @JoKonta91 getting to the semifinals of a GS for the first time. Now into the top 30 in the world. She will only get better."
Konta's newfound success has earned her the right to play in any tournament she chooses and she stands a great chance of being seeded for both the French Open and Wimbledon.
"When I was a little girl, I dreamt of winning grand slams and being number one in the world," Konta said. "That dream stays the same I think as long as you're doing the career that you're on. I think it would be silly for that to change.
"That's why I started this sport, that's why I'm still in this sport."
The world of British tennis will now wait in anticipation to see just what Konta will achieve next.
Do you think Johanna Konta will have a positive influence on British tennis this season? We'd love to hear your views below.