Tennis star Konta laughs off Aussie jibes

'What are you?'Johanna Konta laughed off questions by a BBC presenter about her Australians roots.

British tennis player Johanna Konta

Tennis star Johanna Konta insists she is a British athlete after her nationality was questioned. (AAP)

Australian-raised tennis star Johanna Konta has insisted she is a British athlete after her nationality was questioned by BBC presenter John Humphrys.

On BBC Radio 4's Today program, the veteran interviewer asked Konta: "So, what are you?" after he got the country of her birth wrong.

"We talk about you as being British, but you were born in Hungary, Australian citizenship, and I seem to remember that the Australian high commissioner, when you won the quarter-final, said: 'Great to see an Aussie win', and we were saying: 'Great to see a Brit win' - so, what are you?," Humphrys asked.

Konta laughed before replying: "I was actually born in Australia to Hungarian parents, but I have lived half my life here now, almost. So, I'm a British citizen, and I'm incredibly proud to represent Great Britain. I have done so officially since 2012.

"But, definitely, I have personally since 2005 when I moved here. I have also represented Great Britain at the Olympics, so I'm definitely a British athlete."

Konta was knocked out of Wimbledon by Venus Williams after becoming the first British woman to reach the semi-finals for 39 years.

She played her formative tennis in Australia but after not being considered amongst the junior elite took up a scholarship to play in Spain with her family moving to England.

Humphrys' tone in the interview drew some sharp criticism on social media.


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Source: AAP



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