Last year, as torrential rain and flooding devastated swathes of mainland Spain, Emma Raducanu was holed up in a Malaga hotel, celebrating her 22nd birthday with Billie Jean King Cup team-mates.
They would rather have been at a beachside restaurant but the best was made out of it, with balloons and bunting greeting Raducanu as she left her hotel room that morning. It is in such strange circumstances that bonds are formed and as Great Britain reached the semi-finals it felt as though a team unit had been forged which would carry the country forward.
Apparently not. Raducanu this week took the decision to skip this month’s finals in Shenzhen, where GB will once again attempt to win a first ever BJK Cup title. She is not injured, she has simply chosen to prioritise the run-of-the-mill WTA event in Seoul instead.
It is dreadfully disappointing for British tennis to see how little value Raducanu appears to place on representing her country. Her reasoning is that she has a good thing going with new coach Francis Roig; she has played well over the North American hard courts and wants to keep that momentum going on the regular tour.
In a hard-nosed tennis sense, perhaps this decision has some merit. In Seoul she can earn prizemoney and ranking points which could push her towards a seeding at the Australian Open – but international professional sport has to be about more than that.
When Raducanu is long retired and bouncing a grandchild on her knee, will she hark back to her career and remember 108 ranking points she might earn by reaching the last 16 in Seoul in 2025? Of course not. But taking her country to another challenge for the Cup, the camaraderie with Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal et al – those are the memories which last.
Emma Raducanu pictured in front of a Union Jack flag after winning the US Open in 2021
Raducanu has decided not to represent Great Britain at this month’s Billie Jean King Cup finals
This is not a one-off with Raducanu. She pulled out of the group stage in April after reaching the quarter-finals in Miami. She skipped the Paris Olympics. In 2023 she ruled herself out of a match against France, saying she did not even know when the tie was taking place.
GB captain Anne Keothavong took a dim view of those comments but bridges were rebuilt between the pair last year, in Malaga especially. After Raducanu’s sudden withdrawal – it is understood the LTA were informed at the same time as us journalists – that relationship is hanging by a thread.
This brief LTA statement will hardly do justice to their feelings, or those of Keothavong: ‘Of course we are disappointed. However, we believe we have a great team and we’re looking forward to competing in Shenzhen.’
Raducanu’s great friend Fran Jones will replace her in the team for the finals, which run from September 16-21.
