Emma Raducanu, the former US Open champion, has stated she is prepared for the pleasant” challenge of clay courts. This week, she will compete again in the Billie Jean King Cup.
The British player, who advanced to the third round at Indian Wells but missed the Miami Open, will be representing Great Britain in the team competition for the second time in as many years.
The Great Britain squad that travels to Le Chaudron this coming week to play France will include the world No. 300 in addition to Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart, and Heather Watson, the country’s top players.
The British team, led by Anne Keothavong, is playing France for the second year in a row after suffering a setback in Coventry in April of last year.
Raducanu is back in the mix as she attempts to continue her comeback; however, she missed that match as well as the 2022 Finals in Glasgow.
The British player ended her 2023 campaign after just one clay match, a defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart. Clay courts aren’t particularly linked to British dominance these days.
She did, however, have one prior Billie Jean King Cup tie, which took place on clay in April 2022 against Czechia. There, she defeated Marketa Vondrousova after initially defeating Tereza Martincova.
Speaking to the LTA, Raducanu discussed her first encounter with clay since her junior year as well as the “challenge” of working on the infamously difficult material.
“I guess I was extremely nervous at the start, not sure how it was going to go, but I got into it; I worked really hard,” the woman remarked. “It was my first match on clay in such a long time, like four years.”
It was a terrific victory for me to start the season since I played Tereza Martincova, a Czech player who plays a little bit on clay.
“I really enjoy sliding and moving on clay; it’s a lot of fun.” It’s different, and I find it interesting.
“I appreciate the challenge of it, but it’s not exactly the surface that I’m most comfortable with or my preferred surface.”
France is a stronger and more diverse team in both the singles and doubles formats; hence, Great Britain is viewed as the underdog.
Out of his four players, France’s captain, Julien Benneteau, has chosen Caroline Garcia, Kristina Mladenovic, Diane Parry, and Clara Burel. Garcia and Mladenovic have the most experience in the sport.
Raducanu is embracing the opportunity to get back together with her colleagues, even if she acknowledges that Britain may face challenges this week.
Raducanu continued, “Even just having your team on the bench, it’s a wonderful feeling to have everyone behind you.”
It’s a good setting where you can look up to them if you need a little boost or while you’re playing.
They have an extremely talented crew. They could play whomever they choose since they have a fantastic singles lineup and an outstanding doubles combo. They have plenty of choices.
