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Emma Raducanu will not take part in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in the Netherlands on April 22 - Getty Images /Frey
Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from next week’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in The Hague, citing the need for a mini-training block to build up her strength ahead of the clay-court season.
Raducanu’s management revealed the news on Wednesday, explaining she had played a very busy schedule in 2025 with only one week away from WTA events, and needs some time to regroup.
Her plan now is not to return to tournament play for at least a fortnight. It seems likely she is eyeing up the Madrid Masters – which starts on April 22 – as her next outing.
Last year, Raducanu arrived in Madrid on the back of two draining three-set wins at the Billie Jean King Cup in Le Portel, plus a run to the quarter-finals of Stuttgart. She had nothing left in the tank as she suffered a one-sided loss to world No 82 Maria Lourdes Carle. It is a scenario she is probably keen to avoid repeating.
Had Great Britain been able to call on Raducanu in The Hague, they would have been the favourites to progress from the three-team round robin, which will bring them up against Germany (Eva Lys, Laura Siegemund) and the Netherlands (Suzan Lamens, Arantxa Rus).
Last season, Raducanu won all five matches she played in the Billie Jean King Cup, and was particularly impressive in taking down the French on their home clay in Le Portel.
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Raducanu performed superbly in the BJK Cup last year, earning five wins out of five - Getty Images/Jorge Guerrero
Without her, the job will be more challenging. British captain Anne Keothavong is likely to find herself fielding British No 1 Katie Boulter and the fast-rising Sonay Kartal as her two singles players. She has Harriet Dart as another option, plus Olivia Nicholls in reserve should a deciding doubles rubber be required. A replacement for Raducanu will also be called up in due course.
“I recognise this has been a difficult decision for Emma,” Keothavong said. “Of course you always miss a player of her quality on the team. We’ve seen what she can do in the past representing her country in this competition, but I have the utmost belief in the players who are travelling next week and will confirm a fifth player in due course.”
Roller-coaster ride
It has been a topsy-turvy season for Raducanu to date, as a promising start at the Australian Open led into a calamitous run of six defeats in seven outings. Then, just when her form appeared to have fallen away completely, she rediscovered her self-belief by defeating Miami’s eighth seed Emma Navarro and making a strong run to the quarter-finals.
If nothing else, Raducanu has remained injury free since the back spasm that interrupted her winter training block. This may well reflect the input of the experienced physical trainer, Yutaka Nakamura, who joined her camp at the end of last season.
She has played 14 matches already in 2025, which represents comfortably the highest tally she has accumulated at this stage of the season. Tim Henman, who became something of a mentor during Raducanu’s career-making US Open win, came away from Miami commending her improved physical resilience and determination to keep entering events, even when results have been patchy.
“The results will come,” Henman said. “Sometimes you have to remain patient and deal with the bumps in the road.”
Her coaching intentions remain a mystery, however. Raducanu lost another trusted ally in Nick Cavaday when he stepped down after the Australian Open because of chronic health issues, and she opted not to continue with Slovakia’s Vladimir Platenik after a short trial between Indian Wells and Miami.
Mark Petchey, the former British No 1, who helped her with some technical issues at the very start of her professional career, acted as a locum coach during the Miami Open. But while she clearly enjoyed their collaboration, Petchey’s availability is likely to be limited by his broadcasting commitments.
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