Emma Raducanu made the decision to start her clay court season rather than represent Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup.
Sonay Kartal, Harriet Dart, Jodie Burrage and 17-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic are set to jet across to Australia to play the tie on April 10-11.
Raducanu is set to play the Linz Open instead as she looks to bounce back from missing the Miami Open due to injury.
Following Raducanu’s decision not to represent Great Britain, her team captain, Anne Keothavong has reacted to the news.
Anne Keothavong reacts to Emma Raducanu’s Billie Jean King Cup decision
Raducanu has not played a Billie Jean King Cup tie since last 2024, but her team captain understands her latest decision.
This year’s tie taking place in Australia is a tough sell to many players, who would ordinarily be in Europe for the clay court season at this time of year.
Where do you think Emma Raducanu will finish 2026 ranked?
Speaking to Sky Sports, Keothavong said: “It’s a difficult time of year to be going back to Australia. It’s the start of the clay-court season for most of the players.
“I know most of the players take huge pride in representing Great Britain in this competition, but they also have to make choices for their own tennis and for their own health.”
Raducanu holds an impressive 6/1 record in Billie Jean King Cup ties, so she will be an almighty miss for Great Britain.
Great Britain will play a talented Australian team which features Maya Joint, Talia Gibson, Kimberly Birrell, Storm Hunter, and Ellen Perez.
It’s no surprise why Emma Raducanu has decided to play Linz
It would have been a tough decision for Raducanu to miss out on the Billie Jean King Cup, but she wasn’t alone in her decision.
Katie Boulter and Fran Jones have also decided not to play the Australian event, and Raducanu would have been tempted by a very winnable Linz Open.
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She is the sixth seed at the event and she proved at the Transylvania Open that she has a very strong chance of winning the WTA 250 event.
She will also line up alongside two out of form players in Emma Navarro and Ekaterina Alexandrova, as well as Jelena Ostapenko and Sorana Cirstea.
The British number one will silence her doubters if she manages to lift the trophy in Austria, which is very doable for Raducanu.
It would mark Raducanu’s first title since she shocked the world by winning the US Open in 2021.
