Emma Raducanu has broken her silence after making the remarkable decision to turn down the chance to represent her country in this month’s Billie Jean King Cup finals, taking a wildcard into the Korea Open in Seoul instead.
The British No 1 won all her matches in Malaga last year as GB reached the semi-finals but she will not be competing in Shenzhen – delivering a significant blow to the team’s chances and raising serious doubts over her future as a Billie Jean King Cup player.
It is the second time this year Raducanu has withdrawn from the squad. In April she pulled out of the group stage against Germany and the Netherlands. That came just after a busy run of tournaments – not to mention a recent encounter with a stalker – and Raducanu felt she needed a rest from tennis.
That is one thing, but to snub the finals of the event – a chance to win the first BJK Cup title in Britain’s history – to play a run of the mill WTA event is quite another.
Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal stepped up in that group stage to put GB into the finals and it is they who will lead the tilt at the title in China.
Raducanu, meanwhile, has now spoken out for the first time since making the decision – but did not address it directly.
Emma Raducanu has spoken out after snubbing Team GB duty for the upcoming Billie Jean Cup
The star’s decision is a significant blow to the team’s chances and raising serious doubts over her future as a Billie Jean King Cup player
The 22-year-old has been training out in Barcelona at the BTT Academy and posed alongside coach Francisco Roig, who runs the academy and had his arm around one of his newest clients in the Spanish sun, in a post to her 2.9million followers.
She captioned the post: ‘Sun in September,’ accompanied by a shocked face emoji.
The former US Open champion added: ‘Good week :).’
Daily Mail Sport understand the rationale behind the decision to pull out of the Billie Jean King Cup is a wish to prioritise the development of her game under new coach Roig and continue the momentum built up over the North American hardcourt swing.
Perhaps a factor could also be to raise her ranking such that she is seeded for the Australian Open in January, after she suffered an early defeat to No 9 seed Elena Rybakina in New York.
But this will have come as a shock to GB captain Anne Keothavong and the LTA – who we understand were only informed of the decision this morning.
The Billie Jean King Cup – and all international tennis competitions – are gasping for air, squeezed out by the relentless tour calendar. The loss of Raducanu will not just affect GB’s chances, it is also a significant loss to the event from a marketability standpoint, especially with Raducanu holding a significant Chinese fanbase due to her heritage.
Raducanu’s great friend Fran Jones has been added to the team in her place.
An LTA spokesperson said: ‘Of course we are disappointed. However, we believe we have a great team and we’re looking forward to competing in Shenzhen.’
The BJK Cup finals will be played in Shenzhen from September 16-21.
