Great Britain’s prospects of team success in Malaga this November have been significantly boosted by Emma Raducanu’s inclusion in the latest Billie Jean King Cup squad.
There had been fears that Raducanu might choose not to participate in the finals event in Malaga. This was partly because of her own low-impact approach to scheduling, and partly because of some uncompromising comments from team captain Anne Keothavong, who said on Sky Sports in April that “she [Raducanu] needs to work one hell of a lot harder”.
The comment came during live coverage of Raducanu’s disappointingly one-sided loss to unheralded Maria Lourdes Carle in Madrid, and related to her specific tactical approach during the match. Keothavong also queried Raducanu’s schedule during the same broadcast, asking whether she was physically and mentally ready to compete.
Nevertheless, Raducanu has now entered her name for Malaga as part of a full-strength complement of players that also includes Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart.
Raducanu was the outstanding performer in the shock win over France in April, closing out two tight singles victories as Great Britain qualified for the BJK Cup finals on merit for the first time since the early 1990s.
“I feel like I’m playing some of the best tennis of my career,” said Raducanu then, shortly after she had defeated both Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry – who were ranked at No 23 and No 49 in the world – in dramatic three-set battles.
The team for the finals also features Heather Watson, who is more of a doubles specialist these days, and Olivia Nicholls. Keothavong does, however, have the option to make last-minute changes.
With almost two months to go before the finals begin on November 13, there is still a possibility that Sonay Kartal – a 22-year-old who was one of Raducanu’s junior contemporaries – could make a late push for selection if she continues the rapid rise that saw her land a first WTA title in Tunisia on Sunday.
The BJK Cup finals involve 12 nations and follow a knockout format which would require Great Britain to win four straight ties if they are to lift the title for the first time in their history.
They open their campaign against Germany in a match they will start as favourites, given that Germany’s highest-ranked player is likely to be world No 82 Tatjana Maria. Were they to win, they would then face top seeds and defending champions Canada, whose most influential player, Leylah Fernandez, famously lost to Raducanu in the 2021 US Open final.
The format of these team competitions is constantly changing, and the BJK Cup finals will overlap slightly with the Davis Cup finals, which are also being staged in Malaga the following week.
British women go further than men for first time in more than a decade
The British men will not be present, however, after failing to overcome either Argentina or Canada during Manchester’s Davis Cup qualifiers over the past week. After Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Canada, Davis Cup stalwart Dan Evans sounded unsure about his future participation in the event, saying “you’ve got to learn when to leave the party – I need to have a think”.
Manchester’s results made 2024 the first year in more than a decade in which the British women go further than the men in their respective team competitions.
This is part of a wider pattern. As Telegraph Sport reported in June, Britain’s women have started to outperform their male counterparts on the tours for the first time since the late 1970s and early 1980s. That was the era when Virginia Wade and Sue Barker were in their prime, while Jo Durie was emerging as a potential contender.
Kartal’s victory on Sunday, overcoming Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova by a 6-3, 7-5 scoreline, was only the latest example. It makes 2024 the first year since 1983 to find British women claiming three WTA titles in the same season. Boulter had already won San Diego in March and Nottingham in June.
Even at junior level, the Lawn Tennis Association can point to arguably the strongest group of girls they have ever worked with. Just over a week ago in New York, 15-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic became the first British girl to land a junior grand slam title since 2009.
Should the trend continue, Keothavong and her players ought to find themselves making annual trips to Malaga – or wherever else the Billie Jean King Cup finals are being held – rather than suffering the sort of qualifying-round defeats that we have become all too used to.
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