It is in the spirit of the Billie Jean King Cup that the focus should be on the collective, rather than the individual. But as the eight-team Finals begins in Shenzhen, China, there will be particular attention on Emma Raducanu’s decision to withdraw from Great Britain’s squad in order to play in the Korea Open.
Raducanu won all three of her matches at last year’s Finals as Great Britain reached the semi-finals, appearing to excel in a format that allowed the 22-year-old to represent her country. Anne Keothavong’s team play Japan in the quarter-finals on Thursday, a winnable tie that could set up a clash with either the USA or Kazakhstan in the semi-finals.
