Emma Raducanu needs to ‘become more robust’ says Billie Jean King Cup captain
Former British number one Anne Keothavong believes that Emma Raducanu needs to be “more robust” if she is compete at the top level of the women’s game after Britain crashed out of Billie Jean King Cup qualifying.
This week Great Britain missed out on their chance to make the Billie Jean King Cup finals after losing their tie with the Czech Republic 3-2. Contributing to the loss, Emma Raducanu lost the first singles rubber of the final day to Marketa Vondrousova, with the Czech’s as a result taking a 2-1 lead.
The 19-year-old starlet suffered a heavy defeat losing 6-1, 6-1 to the 2019 French Open finalist, as her movement was severely impacted due to a foot blister. This new injury woe adds to a worryingly growing list for Raducanu who also suffered blisters on her hands during the Australian Open and a leg injury which kept her out of the Mexican swing events.
Discussing Raducanu’s injury troubles, captain Anne Keothavong believes that Raducanu needs to have a greater focus upon her conditioning especially if she is aiming to compete with the elite.
“Before the match, we were aware she had a blister but it got progressively worse for her during the match. There was no indication of anything that said to us that she couldn’t play or that she wasn’t ready to go out there and give it her absolute best,” she said.
“It does take time for a player to get used to life on the tour and become more robust, and she certainly needs to become more robust. I don’t think that’s any secret and she’s working on it.
“The more she puts herself out there, the more she continues to test herself against the very best, she’ll figure out a way that works for her.”
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