Great Britain are without Emma Raducanu for their important Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers against Germany and the Netherlands this weekend.
Anne Keothavong’s team face Germany on Friday and the Netherlands on Saturday as they try to book a spot in the Finals, scheduled for September.
British No.1 tennis star Katie Boulter will lead the British team in Billie Jean King Cup qualifying but Raducanu has decided not to represent the nation.
Scroll down to find out why Raducanu will not be playing for Britain as Keothavong’s team travel to the Hague for the for the round-robin event…
Why is Emma Raducanu not playing for Britain?
Raducanu withdrew from the squad to ‘look after her body’ after her recent Miami Open quarter-final run.
The 22-year-old has competed in a total of seven tournaments so far in 2025, the most she has ever played in the first three months of a season.
Raducanu’s representatives admitted it was a ‘difficult decision’, adding that ‘she needed a little space in the calendar to best look after her body’.
The former US Open champion, who has just climbed back inside the world top 50, required medical attention in her Miami defeat to Jessica Pegula.
Who is playing for Britain instead of Emma Raducanu?
With no Raducanu in the squad, Boutler will instead be joined by Sonay Kartal, Harriet Dart, Jodie Burrage and doubles specialist Olivia Nicholls.
How did Anne Keothavong react to Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal?
Keothavong, Britain’s captain, says the lack of certain top players in Billie Jean King Cup qualifying is ‘a tennis problem, not a player problem’.
‘It’s tough for every nation to put out their best players in each tie,’ she told the BBC.
‘The calendar is just makes it so difficult for players, so I’m empathetic as to how they are.
‘The tennis circuit is brutal – you go from one week to the next and there’s not much time to rest and recover.
‘You have got to try and pick and choose your moments, but it’s not a player problem – it’s a tennis problem.
‘One of these days maybe everyone can figure out a solution and work together.’