Emma Raducanu’s Ex-Coach Makes ‘Zero Sense’ Remark on Her Decision to Withdraw from Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Emma Raducanu will lock horns with Jaqueline Cristian to kickstart her campaign at the Korea Open.

Emma Raducanu’s Ex-Coach Makes ‘Zero Sense’ Remark on Her Decision to Withdraw from Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Emma Raducanu (Image via X/Emma Raducanu Fan)

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Emma Raducanu‘s decision to skip the Billie Jean King Cup Finals did not go down well with the LTA, as one of them told the BBC that they were “disappointed“. But Raducanu’s former coach, Mark Petchey, understands why Raducanu chose to play a WTA 500 event instead of representing her country.

Raducanu and Petchey parted ways last August, following which, she hired Rafael Nadal‘s former coach, Francisco Roig. Petchey said while he was a part of her team, playing the team event was “a 50-50 call” for him. He said during an interview with BetVictor:

There’s always two sides to everything. It’s very easy to come down on the side that you should want to represent your country. To be fair to Emma, when you look back at what she achieved on the clay against France, she proved that when she’s put up against it, she can A, produce the goods, and B does want to play. I don’t think you can blame Emma for a schedule that makes zero sense.

Raducanu was part of Britain’s team for the quarterfinals in Shenzhen, China, against Japan, scheduled to start on September 16. The 22-year-old will instead be featuring at the Korea Open in Seoul, where she is seeded eighth, and will face an unseeded Jaqueline Cristian on September 16.

If you’re asking me personally, from a purely selfish point of view of wanting to be in the best position for Australia, I would tell her not to play. From a PR point of view, you know that people are going to take it badly. But a tennis player’s career is short. She’s suddenly on an upward curve. She understands the importance of wanting to get seeded.

Mark Petchey added

Raducanu also played the Korea Open last year, but her run ended in the quarterfinals. She gave the walkover to Daria Kasatkina after losing the first set. Raducanu then skipped the rest of the tournaments because of an injury, though she made her comeback for the Billie Jean King Finals in November.

Emma Raducanu’s Grand Slam campaigns ended in disappointment

Emma Raducanu will continue her hunt for her career’s second Grand Slam title at the Korea Open. Her first title came at the 2021 US Open, where she scripted history by defeating Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, but since then, she has never once been successful in advancing to the final.

Emma Raducanu (via X/Citi Open)
Emma Raducanu (via X/Citi Open)

Since that win, Raducanu reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam event only twice (at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2024). This season, her campaign at SW19 was ended by four-time Grand Slam singles champion Aryna Sabalenka.

At the Australian Open, she reached the third round for the first time and was eliminated by six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek. The World No.2 then knocked the Brit out of the second round of Roland Garros. At the US Open, Raducanu suffered a third-round exit at the hands of 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.

Her campaign on the North American hardcourt swing helped her rankings. At the Citi Open, she lost to eventual finalist Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals, while at the Canadian Open, her run was ended by two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova in the third round.

In Cincinnati, she was on the verge of knocking out Sabalenka but eventually lost the match. The former World No.10 currently stands in the 34th spot.

In Seoul, Raducanu is projected to lock horns with Swiatek in the quarterfinals. The first seed will clash with the winner of Sorana Cirstea or Zhu Lin in the second round. Beatriz Haddad Maia is the defending champion.

Also read: Holger Rune Explains Shift in Mindset for the Rest of the Season Following Davis Cup win