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Emma Raducanu, the British tennis player, has withdrawn her name from the team for the upcoming Bill Jean King (BJK) Cup Finals, which is scheduled to begin on September 16 in Shenzhen, China. The 22-year-old made the decision to not represent Great Britain, to focus on playing on the WTA Tour while believing that it will be better for her game in the long-term, especially in regards to working with her new coach Francisco Roig.
Notably, as per the report from BBC Sport, Emma Raducanu was offered a wildcard to play in the Korea Open in Seoul, beginning on September 15, which she ended up accepting. Apart from making the decision to give BJK Cup Finals a miss, the British number one didn’t play in the qualifying round of the competition in The Hague in April this year, to work with her then-coach Mark Petchey in Los Angeles.
Emma Raducanu led Great Britain to semis of BJK Cup last year in Malaga
While the announcement for Emma Raducanu could prove to be fruitful for her, it puts the Great Britain team in a tough spot especially since she played a key role in helping them reach the last four of the tournament last year in Malaga, Spain. As far as her new coach Franicisco Roig is concerned, he worked with her on a trial basis at the Cincinnati Open before helping her reach the third round of the US Open.
The replacement of Emma Raducanu in the Great Britain team for the BJK Cup Finals is Fran Jones, who is ranked 89th in the world in women’s singles, joining the likes of Sonay Kartal, Jodie Burrage, and Katie Boulter, with the captain being Anne Keothavong. The statement from the Law Tennis Association (LTA) spokesperson on the matter read, “Of course we are disappointed. However, we believe we have a great team and we're looking forward to competing in Shenzhen.”
