Johanna Konta’s isolation diary: jigsaws, training indoors, Bake Off worries and Wimbledon hopes

How are you staying sane?

I got back from the US about 10 days ago, so I haven’t been home that long. Ask me in six weeks! It’s just me and [boyfriend] Jackson here, and Bono [their miniature dachshund]. I’ve been organising the general state of my flat – spring-cleaning, clearing out closets, digging things out from behind bookshelves. I’ve just now put a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle on the table so I’m gonna give that a go. The title is Puss in Books – there’s lots of cats lying around on bookshelves – and it’s by Judith Yates, a Gibson puzzle. I can send you a photo when I finish.

What is the mood on the tennis tour?

I’m on the player council for the Women’s Tennis Association and we had our scheduled meeting in Indian Wells two weeks ago, the morning after the event was cancelled. It was very scary, very unpredictable. We had no idea what was going to happen and a lot of things happened very quickly, although things are slowing down now. Everyone has been very accepting [about the shutdown]. Tennis is such a global sport, everyone has come into contact with their own home nation’s governance and restrictions. The whole world is in the same boat, in Europe, the US and Asia. The players understand what is happening.

Are you hopeful that Wimbledon will go ahead?

I think more than anything it’s important to be hopeful. Equally, for me right now it’s about not looking too far ahead. We don’t know how this is going to develop. Now we know we are not playing until the beginning of June [June 9, to be precise, which is the first scheduled day of the grass-court season], so that’s the date we are working toward. When that changes, if it changes, we react to whatever comes next.

What about training?

I don’t have access to the equipment that I specifically need – or to my physio and fitness trainer – but I am not getting too stressed over it. This is not ideal for the knee [which has been affected by a tendinitis-type problem for over a year]. I can’t bring what I need – which is a leg-press machine – into the flat. That specific knee exercise, I can’t do right now. But I do have some equipment at home so I am trying to make the best of the situation. I posted a couple of clips where I am attempting to do stuff but my dog is getting in the way, climbing on the foam roll or whatever, as I think that’s more entertaining than a straight workout video. But the next few months could be quite long. So who knows? You might see me do a normal one too.

As for hitting balls, for the past few days, athletes still had access to our respective training grounds, as long as the necessary precautions were observed. But the goalposts are moving all the time. I was trying to hit two or three times a week at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton with Dan Smethurst [the former British tour player who is now Konta’s assistant coach]. Although the offices and the gym were closed, the indoor courts were open for elite players – but only at half-capacity, so that you had an empty court between each one that was being used. [The NTC has shut down completely after the latest government advice.]

We know you as a baker – have you been doing that?

I’m a bit nervous actually because I am about to be on The Great Celebrity Bake Off. [The episode – which also featured actress Caroline Quentin, comedian Joel Dommett and gay fashion icon Tan France – aired on Tuesday night on Channel 4.]

I am excited but also dreading it, because I’ve never seen myself on TV. We filmed it in November and it was so much fun, but quite intense. We started at 6am and finished at 6pm for two days. I didn’t know the others but it was a lot of time spent together and everyone in the production team was brilliant.

This week, I just made a chocolate-chip banana loaf at home, but it’s hard to eat all of it. I like to share the things I bake, but how do we do that at the moment? I am conscious that I can’t bake too much.

How are you approaching the news?

We check in with it once a day, and try to keep up with any new developments. Otherwise, we’re just getting on with life as best as possible. For us, too much of it causes too much stress and also helplessness. It’s a worrying time. I haven’t seen my parents since I left for Mexico [at the end of last month]. We’re speaking every day. I am hopeful I can see them, but definitely not for the foreseeable.

Finally, how are you doing for loo roll?

Yeah, we have some. We had it before we left for America, so we’ve been fine. But I don’t understand this situation at all. It’s really bizarre. I don’t know who started it or why they started it. Was it a joke at the time which is not funny anymore? I have seen photos from mainland Europe and it doesn’t seem like anyone is stockpiling over there. Still, if you run out of loo roll, you can always go in the shower and wash.