Emma Raducanu has pulled out of Great Britain’s squad for next week’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers against Germany and the Netherlands.
Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of the Miami Open last week, the British number two’s deepest run at a WTA 1000 event and her best tournament performance since her stunning US Open triumph in 2021.
The 22-year-old has featured in seven events in a busy first three months of the year and has now opted to take a breather for the next two to three weeks to fit in a training block.
She will not participate in any WTA tournaments during that time, having pulled out of a tournament in Rouen starting on 14 April, and it is unclear when she intends to return to action. The decision means she has withdrawn from Britain’s five-strong team for their Billie Jean King Cup double-header in the Netherlands, played on clay indoors in The Hague.
“I recognise this has been a difficult decision for Emma,” Britain captain Anne Keothavong said on the Lawn Tennis Association’s X account.
“Of course you always miss a player of her quality on the team, we’ve seen what she can do in the past representing her country, but I have the utmost belief in the players who are travelling next week and will confirm a fifth player in due course.”
Raducanu was one of three top-100 singles players in Keothavong’s original full-strength team, with Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal selected alongside former world number 70 Harriet Dart and British doubles number one Olivia Nicholls.
The former US Open champion was a key player in the Billie Jean Cup squad last year, winning all five of the matches she played, including two on clay in France. Britain lost in the semi-finals in November.
The Billie Jean King Cup has a new round-robin qualifying format, with the top nation heading to the Finals later this year. The remaining two teams will have to compete in play-offs for the chance to return to the qualifiers in 2026.
