Emma Raducanu said she is ready for the “fun” task of clay courts. This week, the former US Open champion will play again in the Billie Jean King Cup.
The British star skipped the Miami Open after making it to the third round at Indian Wells. This will be only his second time playing for Great Britain in a team event, and his first time in almost two years.
There is a 300th player in the world who will be on the Great Britain team that plays France this coming week in Le Chaudron. The other players on the team are Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart, and Heather Watson.
This is the second year in a row that Anne Keothavong has led the British team against France. Last April, they lost in Coventry.
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Raducanu didn’t play in that game or the 2022 Finals in Glasgow, but she is now back with the team and hopes to keep her season going.
The British player quit her 2023 season after only one match on clay, a loss to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart. In recent years, the British haven’t had much success on this surface.
But her only other Billie Jean King Cup match was on clay, in April 2022, against Czechia. In the first set, she beat Tereza Martincova, but then Marketa Vondrousova beat her.
Raducanu hadn’t played on clay since she was a junior, and when she talked to the LTA about it, she talked about the “challenge” of the extremely tricky surface.
“I had not played a match on clay in about four years, so I was pretty nervous at first. I didn’t know how it was going to go, but I got into it and worked really hard,” she said.I beat Tereza Martincova, who is Czech.
They play some tennis on clay, so it was a great way to start the season for me. When I move around on clay and slide, I have a great time. “I find it interesting and unique.” In terms of ease and preference, it’s not my favorite or most comfortable surface, but I like the challenge of it.
France is a strong team with a lot of skill in both singles and doubles, so Great Britain is seen as the underdog.
Caroline Garcia, Clara Burel, Diane Parry, and Kristina Mladenovic are the four players chosen by France captain Julien Benneteau. Garcia and Mladenovic have a lot of experience in this tournament.
Even though Raducanu knows that Britain will be up against it this week, she is excited to get back together with her friends.
“The fact that your team is on the bench is nice to have behind you,” Raducanu said.
“It’s a good place to be because you can look up to them while you play or whenever you need a little extra boost.” They have a really good team. Their doubles team is great, and their singles team is great, too, so they could play anyone they want. They can do a lot of things.
