Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from Great Britain’s squad for next week’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in the Netherlands to “look after her body.”
The British number two recently reached the Miami Open quarter-finals but has already played seven tournaments this year—the most she has competed in during the first three months of a season.
The 22-year-old, who re-entered the world’s top 50 this week, required medical attention before her Miami defeat to fourth seed Jessica Pegula. Her representatives described the decision to withdraw as “difficult,” explaining that she needed “a little space in the calendar to best look after her body.”
Raducanu has faced recurring fitness challenges in recent seasons and recently took time off after being targeted by a stalker at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. She now plans to focus on a training block over the next two to three weeks and has also withdrawn from the Rouen Open, which begins on 14 April. Her return to competitive action remains uncertain.
Great Britain will face the Netherlands and Germany in the new BJK Cup round-robin format from 10-12 April. Raducanu was part of the British squad that reached the semi-finals last year.
Her absence leaves British captain Anne Keothavong considering her options, with another player likely to be called up next week to join Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Harriet Dart, and Olivia Nicholls.
“Of course, you always miss a player of her quality on the team. But I have the utmost belief in the players who are travelling,” said Keothavong.
The top team from the qualifying ties in The Hague will earn a place in the Finals later this year, while the other two nations will move to the play-offs for a chance to return to the qualifiers in 2026.
Earlier on Wednesday, world number two Iga Swiatek also withdrew from Poland’s qualifying ties against Switzerland and Ukraine, citing a “difficult decision” and a need to “focus on myself and my training.”
