Emma Raducanu has revealed her “love” of playing for Great Britain on the big stage as her captain urges her team to end 61 years of hurt at the Billie Jean King Cup.
The British No.2 returned to action in superb style in Malaga by beating Germany’s Jule Neimeier in her country’s opening tie. And Katie Boulter then booked a quarter-final tie against defending champions Canada on Sunday by thrashing Laura Siegemund as Great Britain chase a first ever victory at the women’s World Cup.
Former US Open winner Raducanu now has a 4-1 record playing singles for her country – and is 3-0 this year after winning both her ties against France in April to book Britain’s place in the finals.
Her season has again been hampered by injuries and she is back in action on the Costa del Sol after 54 days out with a foot ligament suffered in September.
Asked if playing with the support of her team was a good way to return to the court, the world No.58 said: “Big time. I think it’s a great way to come back, even though there is some pressure to score a point for your team.
“You’re not just playing for yourself; you’re playing for everyone. I love the environment. I think the support was great. The instruments and the crowd, I mean, it felt like we were playing at home, which is really nice.
“I do thrive on a good crowd. But also, I think it’s just a result of good training weeks. Before the tie in April I had a very good training block. Before this, I had three good weeks of practice, too. I think it’s also just a result of that good work.
“I think as an individual athlete, it’s not like a tour event. So I think having your team members on the side cheering you on when you might be a little bit nervous, and having the ability to use on-court coaching and getting feedback is very helpful when you haven’t played for a long time.”
Raducanu was cheered on to victory by a large travelling support in Malaga who sang Happy Birthday to mark her 22nd birthday on Wednesday.
“I want to say thank you so much to everyone for coming out here, travelling out, and especially given the conditions and the circumstances with the weather,” she added. “We really appreciate it, and it honestly makes such a big difference, because, yeah, we get fired up.
“We don’t want to let the crowd down. We don’t want to let everyone who came out down.
“Yeah, it’s an amazing experience to be a part of. We are very lucky the crowd is with us, but even so, I think that’s what sport is about, playing in front of an amazing atmosphere.
“And it’s not often you get opportunities like this where it’s for your country; it’s not just for yourself.”
Thirteen different countries have won the Billie Jean King Cup – formerly the Fed Cup – since it was first played in London in 1963. Great Britain have reached the final four times but never won and spent years in the third-tier Europe/Africa Zone.
Now ranked No.12, Keothavong’s side have a great chance to end the run with Raducanu and Boulter in good form. And the only two top 10 players in the event – Poland’s Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini of Italy – are on the other side of the draw.
“For me to be able to captain the team of incredible women, and for Katie to lead the way she does, and to have Emma back in the team, playing great tennis, I feel like I’m in a very fortunate position, and I feel like this is a team that I really believe that we can win this,” said former British No.1 Keothavong.
“I don’t have a problem saying that out loud, because we’ve got quality players who have shown in their own right what they’re capable of, whether it’s this year or in previous years.
“The fact they’re here and putting themselves on the line, and Katie, especially after the season she’s had and seven weeks in Asia, it’s a credit to her and the others that they want to be part of this and see this team do well and have the same belief, as well. We’ve got a big goal and we really want to do our best to achieve that.”
Canada are missing former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu and are led by world No.31 Leylah Fernandez. The left-hander, now 22, lost to Raducanu in the 2021 US Open final but will face Boulter on Sunday as Canada’s No.1 player.
“What they achieved last year was remarkable; it really was,” added Keothavong. “We’re not underestimating them by any means. They can be incredibly tough. They have fantastic team spirit, but so have we. They are hungry to defend their title, but we are hungry to win.”
