Emma Raducanu left out of GB’s Billie Jean King Cup squad leaving Olympic participation in doubt
Emma Raducanu has been labelled as ‘unavailable’ for Great Britain’s upcoming Billie Jean King Cup qualifier tie against France, leaving the British No.1’s Paris Olympics hopes in doubt.
Raducanu has not been picked by British captain Anne Keothavong, leaving the team without a top 100 singles player, and adding to the rumours that there could be a dispute going on between the pair.
?? Your @BJKCup Team to take on France ??@harriet_dart @HeatherWatson92 @katiecboulter @LisseyBarnett @OliviaNicholls
— LTA (@the_LTA) March 17, 2023
When asked last week about whether she would be participating in the upcoming tie, Raducanu responded, “I don’t even know when it is, to be honest. I haven’t thought about it. I’ve just been so in my zone as I’ve said. I’ll decide [on my participation] later.”
This was met with a cryptic response by Keothavong on Twitter, who replied to a post about Raducanu’s comments with a confused emoji and then followed it up with, “My communication skills are generally good in case anyone was wondering.”
My communication skills are generally good in case anyone was wondering.
— Anne Keothavong (@annekeothavong) March 10, 2023
However, the GB captain of seven years appears to be open to welcoming the 2021 US Open champion back to the squad in the ‘near future’, “While Emma is unavailable for this time we look forward to seeing her back on the team in the near future”.
Fans of Raducanu have suggested that the reason she is unavailable for selection is due to her participation at the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart the following week, which begins two days after the BJK Cup tie is completed.
Raducanu being left out of the BJK Cup squad also leaves her hopes for the Paris Olympics in doubt.
For tennis players to qualify for their Olympic team they need to represent their country in either the BJK Cup or Davis Cup at least three times in the Olympic cycle.
This means that for Paris, Raducanu would need to represent GB three times across 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The 20-year-old played once in the competition last year, in the qualifier tie against the Czech Republic, and was selected for the finals in Glasgow, but withdrew due to injury.
This means that Raducanu will need to represent GB, in the BJK Cup, in the two remaining opportunities if she wants to play in her first Olympic games.
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