Heather Watson believes off-court happiness is paving the way for success on the court as Great Britain completed a second Fed Cup whitewash with a 3-0 success over Latvia.
After beating Portugal, Watson once again led Anne Keothavong’s side to a perfect start in the singles, taking the opening rubber 6-3 6-0 as her form continues to improve.
And when Johanna Konta doubled the lead with her own 6-2 6-3 effort, Great Britain’s lead became unassailable in Estonia, even before Laura Robson and Jocelyn Rae took to the court.
But the two maintained the clinical approach, despite losing the second set, ending the contest with an excellent 6-0 6-7 6-2 success over their Latvian counterparts.
And with Turkey next to come in Tallinn, as soon as tomorrow, Watson feels the team spirit is certainly to thank for their success so far – winning all six of their rubbers to date.
“I’m happy with the win, I played better than yesterday and had a tougher opponent this time too in Diana Marcinkevica,” said the world number 72.
“I moved around the court and hit the ball better, but just all-round I played well and positive tennis.
“It’s a lot of fun, we’re playing a lot of games and there’s a lot of banter flying about, so we’re all having a very good time.”
Victory in their last group game against Turkey would confirm Great Britain’s place atop Group C, subsequently setting up a tie with the winners of Group B in Saturday’s play-off.
It’s a tie that, on current evidence, Keothavong’s team will head into on a confident note, prevailing against a team posing plenty of challenges in Latvia.
Konta’s mettle was tested for a second consecutive tie, overcoming Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets before Robson and Rae were forced to hold their nerve after being pegged back to 1-1.
And world number ten Konta feels it’s a Fed Cup mentality everyone has bought into, with the Australian Open quarter-finalist keen to make up for lost time after not taking to the court last year.
“We knew coming in that Latvia would be a strong team, and it’s never easy to play in the Fed Cup anyway – a lot of players raise their level so it can be tricky,” she said.
“The scoreline doesn’t reflect that, but it was certainly hard. Jelena is one of the young ones on tour and has a good game, you can go through matches where you really don’t have a lot to say.
“I really enjoy the Fed Cup, I didn’t get the chance to play it last year so I was clear from the start that I wanted it to be part of my schedule, so long as I was fit and healthy.
“The Olympics was one of the best experiences of my life, and every time I get the chance to represent Great Britain, I want to take it.”
Sportsbeat 2017