Emma Raducanu comments on her emotional injuries following Britain’s victory in the BJK Cup tie.
In the Billie Jean King Cup match between Britain and France, Emma Raducanu secured the win for the British side.
Emma Raducanu spoke candidly about her injury recuperation following Britain’s victory in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying match. The 21-year-old dealt the last blow to France as team GB secured their place in the BJK Cup Finals by defeating Diane Parry 4-6 6-1 7-6(1), despite a late scare.
During the two-day qualifying tie, Raducanu won both of her singles rubbers for Britain, solidifying her place as the team’s MVP for the coming weekend. After wasting two match opportunities when she served for the match at 5-2 in the second set, the former world No. 10 versus Parry on Saturday managed to pull through in the end.
However, she emerged victorious in the tiebreak, conceding just one point to guarantee Britain a berth in the BJK Cup Finals. Raducanu became upset when asked what it meant to win two elite matches after missing the most of the previous season due to injury after celebrating with the team.
“Yes, it does feel good,” the world’s number thirty-two said. “I think I need to shout out Ian at home who has been working with me every single day in the last recovery since surgery.”
In May of last year, Raducanu underwent surgery on one ankle and both wrists. And after putting in the effort, the 21-year-old was obviously moved to be given the chance to show herself. She went on, “I think it would be amazing to be able to play three sets in back-to-back matches on clay against really good opponents.
“It’s just a testament to the work we’ve been doing and I knew it would pay off eventually so I’m very pleased that this weekend it was able to show.” After guaranteeing that Britain would be among the 12 countries competing for the BJK Cup trophy in November, the 2021 US Open victor was also full of admiration for the other members of the squad and their fans.
“I mean, a lot of love for the crowd out there in Great Britain supporting us and who came out here,” Raducanu remarked, drawing a heart with her palm. I’m ecstatic to have won two points, especially against such a formidable team on clay.
“We talked about how difficult this would be on Thursday before the tie, but to be honest, I felt confident in our team. We have a really good squad, and I’m happy that we were able to gain two points. However, having Boults this morning really helped us get out to a 2-1 lead.
“And, of course, all of the bench players and staff personnel. They’ve been working nonstop to keep us in shape, after all. We concluded our work rather late yesterday night and had to resume this morning, so a huge thank you. Everyone here was participating, not just myself.”
Playing on French soil, the British squad had a very difficult draw clay courts inside. While Raducanu had limited experience on the surface, Boulter’s victory over Burel on Saturday was her maiden clay-court victory at the professional level.
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