Raducanu to skip Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers

Briton Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from next weeks Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers to rest following her run to the quarter-finals in Miami where she needed medical attention during her defeat by Jessica Pegula.

Raducanu dropped the opening set and appeared out of sorts while up 5-4 in the second, requiring a medical timeout during which she had her legs and back iced, before the 22-year-old eventually lost 6-4 6-7(3) 6-2.

After seven tournaments in the opening three months of the year, Raducanu has opted out of Britains Group F qualifiers of the premier womens team tournament in The Hague, Netherlands from April 10-12.

She needs a little space in the calendar to best look after her body, Raducanus representatives told British media, adding that she will also skip the Rouen Open from April 14.

Raducanu has struggled with form and fitness problems since her U.S. Open triumph as a teenager in 2021.

However, she won four main draw matches in succession in Miami last week, her best run at a tournament since that Grand Slam victory at Flushing Meadows.

Britains captain Anne Keothavong said the team would miss Raducanu, who was part of the squad that reached the semi-finals last year.

You always miss a player of her quality on the team, said Keothavong, who has also called up Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Harriet Dart and Olivia Nicholls. REUTERS

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