Johanna Konta feeling Loki in New York: ‘We just literally crossed paths’ with actor Tom Hiddleston

NEW YORK, NY, USA - No.16 seed Johanna Konta’s first-round victory against Daria Kasatkina didn’t come easily, going the distance on Court 17 - but today there was a different face in her players' box willing her on to victory.

“I had a lot of great support in the box. It was great,” Konta grinned in her post-match press conference.

Read more: 'She's no walk in the park' - No.16 seed Konta battles past Kasatkina in New York

Eagle-eyed tennis fans spotted British actor Tom Hiddleston in the stands during Konta’s rollercoaster 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory against the Russian. 

It took a bit of New York City magic for Konta and Hiddleston’s paths to cross, with Konta explaining that a chance encounter had the actor plucking up the courage to ask the British No.1 for a place in her box. 

“I did the Good Samaritan thing and said, ‘Don’t bother him, he’s obviously busy,’” Konta recalled in her post-match press conference.

“But then he actually said, ‘Oh I don’t usually do this, but I’m a massive fan’ and I was like, ‘Wait, who? What? Who else is here?’” she laughed, miming looking around behind her.  

“It was basically that, and then we got chatting. He’s super nice, and his co-stars came as well, and they’re super nice as well.”

Hiddleston, who famously starred as Loki in Marvel’s Avenger movies, is in town starring in his debut Broadway show, Betrayal. Konta admitted she hasn’t been to watch it, but added, “If I have the time I’d love to [go].”

“He said he’s got quite a few shows until Christmas,” Konta explained. “But yeah, we met actually only a few days ago, and he turned out to be a big tennis fan. So I invited him down and he brought some of his co-stars. I had some of my friends there as well. It was great.”

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The extra support certainly didn’t hurt, with the Brit snapping two losing streaks with today’s victory: the last time Konta won a match at the US Open was in 2016, and she came into this year's tournament with a spate of opening-round exits at Toronto and Cincinnati, leaving her winless since Wimbledon. 

“I think there’s always pressure or a bit of anxiety, stress, kind of just wanting to perform well in any first round,” she mused. “And obviously at a Slam, there’s always more buzz, always more things going on. 

“I didn’t think too much about the previous years, you know, it’s by the by - first round losses happen. I had two of them just recently,” she said with a laugh. “You know, it’s part of the game. 

“I thought I did a good job in just playing today on its own merit, in its own challenge. I was really pleased that I was able to enjoy being out there and enjoy that game.”

Konta continues her 2019 US Open campaign in the second round, where she’ll take on Margarita Gasparyan in her next match.