Emma Raducanu will not be part of Britain’s BJK Cup squad next month (Image: Getty)
Anne Keothavong, Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup captain, has addressed the absence of Emma Raducanu and other top players from Team GB’s squad for their upcoming tie. The Brits will head down under to face Australia in a qualifier tie on John Cain Arena next month – a hard court inside the Melbourne Park complex, used for the Australian Open.
It’s a tricky tie for players to commit to, as it clashes with the beginning of the European clay-court season, and most GB’s higher-ranked stars have chosen not to fly all the way to Australia and back to play on a different surface for two days. Three of Britain’s top four women – Raducanu, Katie Boulter, and Francesca Jones – have not been included in the team. Raducanu has already commited to a WTA Tour event in Linz that week.
Instead, Sonay Kartal will lead the four-woman squad, which also includes Harriet Dart, Jodie Burrage, and BJK Cup debutant Mika Stojsavljevic. A fifth player can be named closer to the time.
Team captain Keothavong has now addressed the absences of Raducanu, Boulter and co. But she still believes the Brits can cause a surprise, as they have done many times in the past.
“It’s a difficult time of year to be going back to Australia. It’s the start of the clay-court season for most of the players. I know most of the players take huge pride in representing Great Britain in this competition, but they also have to make choices for their own tennis and for their own health,” Britain’s BJK Cup captain said while commentating on the Miami Open for Sky Sports.
“But, look, for the girls who have agreed to be part of the team, it’s a tough ask to take on the Australians, who have fielded their strongest team. But you have to give yourself a chance and go out there as best prepared as possible, treat it for what it is, and have a go. We’ve been underdogs before in this competition and have been able to surprise many people, and got to go in with the same attitude.”
British BJK Cup captain Anne Keothavong addressed the absence of some top players (Image: Sky Sports)
It will be a full-strength Australian team for the qualifier tie from April 10 to 11, as the Aussies have called up Talia Gibson, Maya Joint, Storm Hunter, Kimberly Birrell and Ellen Perez. Gibson has been the breakout star of the ‘Sunshine Double’. The 21-year-old was ranked outside of the top 100 at the beginning of March but qualified for both Indian Wells and Miami, and has caused plenty of upsets.
In Indian Wells, she took out top-20 stars Ekaterina Alexandrova and Clara Tauson on her way to the quarter-finals, also getting her first top-10 win over Jasmine Paolini. Gibson then found herself back in the qualifying rounds for the Miami Open, but she got into the main draw and has so far stunned Naomi Osaka and Iva Jovic on her way to round four.
“I’ve seen too much of Talia Gibson recently!” Keothavong joked. “She’s a great tennis player, and even when I saw her compete in Australia at the start of the year, her ball-striking quality is right up there. Obviously, she had a fantastic run in Indian Wells, still going strong here in Miami.
“She’s had a number of top-20 wins, and she just looks very confident. She’s still very young, 21 years of age, and when it comes to representing your country, I don’t think she’s been in that position before, playing a home tie. The pressure will be on her shoulders if she is there competing and representing her nation. But she is an outstanding prospect.”
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