Katie Boulter thinks Emma Raducanu is back ‘where she belongs’ after Great Britain has secured its place in the quarter-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup with a 2-0 victory against Germany.
Raducanu beat Jule Niemeier 6-4, 6-4, while Boulter eased his own match 6-1, 6-2 to set up a meeting with last year’s winners Canada.
Having turned 22 on the eve of the tournament, Raducanu put in an encouraging performance in his first match for almost two months afterwards his latest injury setbacka foot ligament problem.
Boulter, British number one and world number 25, praised her teammate’s performance: “She did incredibly well.
“Obviously she hasn’t played a lot of matches, so to see that level there again, to do really well, it’s really nice to see.
“This is where she belongs. I’m sure she’ll win a lot of matches like this.
Raducanu’s last match on court took place on September 21, when she was forced to retire in the quarterfinals of the Korean Open, and a month ago her foot was in a protective boot . On the court, she showcased one of the aspects of her game that she had been working on during her absence from competition.
In the first set, Raducanu served seven aces, including four in a single game and 10 in total, setting her apart from Niemeier. The Briton won 76 percent of the points on her first serve which she has been tinkering with since the start of the grass season.
Under the direction of Nick Cavaday, Raducanu developed a more compact movement, almost an abbreviation of the technique used to great effect by world-famous server Andy Roddick.
“I worked on it,” admitted Raducanu after his victory at the Palacio de Deportes.
“In training for next year, I want to work on my serve and make it a little more of a weapon.”
Although Raducanu acknowledged his serve was not the finished article: “It involves a little compromise, I think, especially at the beginning, when I’m still figuring it out.
“I have to take double faults with aces.”
Great Britain will face defending champions Canada
Canada has not yet confirmed its squad, which will be done an hour before the match begins on Sunday at 4 p.m. GMT, but Raducanu will likely face Rebecca Marino or Marina Stakusic, ranked 103rd and 127th in the world. respectively.
As the two top-ranked singles players, Boulter is set to face Canadian Leylah Fernandez, who Raducanu beat to win the 2021 US Open title.
Boulter said she was “very excited” about the match, adding: “(She’s a) great player. Someone for whom I have enormous respect.
“She is the first person on the ground in the morning when you arrive on site and the last person on site, and she works extremely hard.
“I have a lot of respect for her. We all know what she is capable of. It will be an absolute battle, but I’m looking forward to it.
Canada is yet to make the Billie Jean King Cup final, having earned a bye to the quarter-finals after winning the competition in 2023, but Great Britain is not underestimating the challenge .
Team captain Anne Keothavong said: “What they achieved last year was remarkable, it really was.
“We are not underestimating them in any way. They can be incredibly touching. They have fantastic team spirit, but so do we. They are hungry to defend their title, but we are hungry to win.
