The British team’s chances of success in Malaga next November have been significantly boosted by Emma Raducanu inclusion in the final Billie Jean King Cup team.
There were fears that Raducanu would decide not to play in the final in Malaga. This was partly due to her own low impact approach to planningand partly because of some uncompromising comments from team captain Anne Keothavong, who told Sky Sports in April that “she (Raducanu) has to work a lot harder”.
The comment was made during the live broadcast of Raducanu’s disappointing loss to underdog Maria Lourdes Carle in Madrid, and was about her particular tactical approach during the match. Keothavong also asked about Raducanu’s schedule on the same show, asking if she was physically and mentally ready to compete.
However, Raducanu has now registered her name for Malaga as part of a full squad of players which also includes Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart.
Raducanu was the standout performer in the surprise win over France in April, claiming two tight singles victories as Great Britain qualified for the BJK Cup final on merit for the first time since the early 1990s.
“I feel like I’m playing some of the best tennis of my career,” Raducanu said, shortly after beating both Caroline Garcia And Diane Parry – who were ranked 23rd and 49th in the world – in dramatic three-set battles.
The team for the final also includes Heather Watson, who is now more of a doubles specialist, and Olivia Nicholls. Keothavong does have the flexibility to make last-minute changes, however.
With almost two months to go until the final begins 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 one last push for selection if she continues her rapid rise that saw her win a first WTA title in Tunisia on Sunday.
The BJK Cup final involves 12 nations and follows a knockout format that would require Great Britain to win four consecutive matches if they are to claim the title for the first time in their history.
The Germans will open their campaign against Germany in a match they will enter as favourites, given that the country’s highest-ranked player is likely to be Tatjana Maria, ranked 82nd in the world. If they win, they would then face top-seeded and defending champions Canada, whose most influential player, Leylah Fernandez, 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 those of the Davis Cup, which will also take place in Malaga the following week.
For the first time in over a decade, British women are going further than men
The British will not be present, however, after failing to beat Argentina or Canada in the Davis Cup qualifiers in Manchester last week. 2-1 defeat against Canada on SundayDavis Cup mainstay Dan Evans appeared uncertain about his future participation in the event, saying: “You have to learn to leave the party, I have to think.”
The Manchester results make 2024 the first year in more than a decade that British women have gone further than the men in their respective team competitions.
This is part of a larger pattern. Telegraph Sport As reported in June, British women have begun to outperform their male counterparts on the racetrack for the first time since the late 1970s and early 1980s. This was the era when Virginia Wade and Sue Barker were at their peak, while Jo Durie was emerging as a potential contender.
Kartal’s victory on Sunday, overcoming Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova 6-3, 7-5, is just the latest example. 2024 will be the first year since 1983 that Britons have won three WTA titles in the same season. Boulter had already won San Diego in March and Nottingham in June.
Even at the junior level, the Lawn Tennis Association can boast of having arguably the strongest group of girls it has ever worked with. Just over a week ago in New York, Mika Stojsavljevic became the first British girl to win a junior Grand Slam title since 2009.
If the trend continues, Keothavong and her players should find themselves making annual trips to Malaga – or wherever else the Billie Jean King Cup finals are held – rather than suffering the kind of qualifying defeats we have become all too accustomed to.
