Johanna Konta must focus on Anqelique Kerber's weak serve and not her own bid to make history to reach Australian Open final

• e-mail

Wasn't it only recently that the Brits were all talking about Heather Watson and Laura Robson?

Jo Konta seemed to be off the radar, but now everyone is looking at her and rightly so. The attention will only multiply if she takes what I think is a realistic opportunity to beat Angelique Kerber and make the Australian Open final.

Her Spanish coach Esteban Carel seems to have done an excellent job. He really gets her to focus on what she has to do.  

In our exclusive picture, Johanna Konta jumps for joy while draped in the Union Jack in Melbourne

Konta has reached the Australian Open semi-finals against all odds, but she could go even further

I would still make the German world No 6 the favourite for the match by about 70-30, but I think it is a far better match-up for Konta than it would have been against Victoria Azarenka, who has the experience of actually winning Grand Slams. 

Kerber is a counter-puncher extraordinaire - she will run down any ball and is super-dogged, and she has also got herself super-fit. But there is a weakness and it is her serve. She has slightly changed her stance on it to make it more solid but for a left-hander it is not as strong as it might be.

Her second serve is definitely the weakest aspect of her game, and if Konta's own serve is solid she is going to get some chances to break.

And it is a tough one to call because a lot depends on which player reacts to the size of the occasion best. Kerber has been in two Grand Slam semi-finals and she will be desperate to go one stage further in her third – and this is the first time that she is favoured to go through.

Not that I see it as Konta having nothing to lose. As a coach I've never liked that phrase and I don't believe in it. What I do think is going to help the British player is that she does not have a day off in between.

That is good because it does not allow her to have a day off to get distracted by any hype – you can't close it all out, no matter how hard you try, and it is not that she should be tired after that match against Zhang Shuai. 

Konta seems to me to be a very disciplined player anyway. She plays within herself and does not try to go for too much. I like that slightly quirky bouncing of the ball she does before serving, and it is a pretty good serve.

I know a lot of people have talked about her new found calmness but something I also notice about her is that she is a great mover, I really like the way she covers the court.

Germany's Angelique Kerber stands in between Konta and a place in the final of a Grand Slam

Kerber is a dogged opponent, but her serve is an area of weakness for Konta to exploit

And you've got to admire how she has turned her career around. She took a funding cut from the LTA early last year, and some players would have whinged and their career would have fallen off a cliff.

In Konta's case it seems to have made her stand up for herself and take responsibility. She looked nervous to me at Wimbledon when she played Sharapova on the Centre Court but that run before the US Open has changed her DNA as a tennis player. Whatever happens against Kerber I think she is going to be around for a while.

It has been fascinating to watch Andy Murray here, both the way he is playing and how he is handling everything outside with what happened to his father-in-law, and his wife Kim being heavily pregnant.

He seems to be handling the off-court stuff well, and sometimes off-court distractions can be good for your tennis and help you relax. Maybe it adds some perspective and takes the pressure off, clears your mind from thinking about tennis all the time.

Andy Murray is looking feisty as ever and is course for another Australian Open final appearance

The British No 1 has showed more aggression on his second serve and his backhand Down Under

I think having Amelie Mauresmo back has been good for Andy. There is no doubt that he was going at Jonas (Bjorkman) too much in the box towards the end of last season. I suspect Amelie is a calming presence on and off the court here with everything that is going on.

Two aspects of Murray's play in this tournament have surprised and impressed me: the way he is being more aggressive on his second serve and his aggression on his backhand.

I think his second serve, which was often up in the high 90s in miles per hour in the quarter-final, surprised David Ferrer. He was expecting he could go after it a bit more.

Then in the last two sets Andy was more aggressive with his backhand, especially hitting it down the line. That is a tough shot to play but Andy can really damage opponents with it, even the very best.

There is some bad weather forecast for Melbourne over the next few days, and one of the things to look out for is the roof being closed and the effect that can have on conditions.

Milos Raonic roars with delight after beating Gael Monfils to set up a showdown against Murray

The big-serving Canadian has an obvious weapon, and is happy to volley more nowadays

As we saw against Ferrer, the big difference is that it gets slower and the ball bounces considerably lower than when it is open to the elements. That is why Ferrer was unhappy and it should work in Murray's favour again when he faces Milos Raonic.

The big Canadian has changed his game a bit in recent months and the most noticeable thing is the volley, where his technique has improved a lot. He is moving forward a lot and much more confident at the net.

His serve has always been his biggest weapon and under new coach Carlos Moya he is not just bombing it but mixing it up much better.

He is 6ft 5in and weighs about 220lbs, that is lighter than he was and he is moving better as a result. He moves okay but not as well as fellow big men like Marin Cilic or Juan Martin del Potro. He does not change direction that quickly and that maybe is something that Murray can exploit.

Murray will want to trade backhands with him all night if he possibly can.

But I come back to that all-important second serve. Murray will need to win at least 50 per cent when Raonic is on is second delivery, and if he does that he should win.