Emma Raducanu’s former coach says ‘I’d have told her not to play Billie Jean King Cup’
Emma Raducanu should not be blamed for opting not to represent Great Britain in the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Finals as the tennis schedule “makes zero sense”, according to Mark Petchey.
World No 34 Raducanu was initially part of Team GB’s squad to face Japan in the quarter-final of the Finals in Shenzhen, China, during the week of September 16, but she announced her withdrawal from the tournament shortly after her exit from the US Open.
Instead, the 22-year-old will now compete in the Korea Open – which runs from September 15-22 in Seoul – after being handed a wildcard entry for the WTA 500 event, although the move did not go down well with LTA officials.
The BBC reported there was there was “considerable anger within the LTA at Raducanu’s decision” and a statement from a spokesperson read: “Of course, we are disappointed. However, we believe we have a great team and we’re looking forward to competing in Shenzhen.”
Petchey, who coached Raducanu on an informal basis from March until August this year before Francisco Roig – who was part of 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal’s coaching set-up from 2005 until 2022 – took over ahead of the Cincinnati Open, says playing a WTA Tour event instead of the Billie Jean King Cup is the correct decision for Raducanu.
“There’s always two sides to everything,” Petchey told tennis betting site BetVictor.
“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.
“For me when I was with her and before Francisco took over the reins full-time, it was a 50-50 call for me in that regard. 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.”
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Raducanu also played at the Korea Open in 2024 and reached the quarter-final before she was forced to retire with a foot injury after losing the first set against Daria Kasatkina.
She then missed the rest of the regular WTA Tour season due to the injury before returning to action in November to represent Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Petchey added: “The tournament in Seoul is one that she obviously has played well at in the past. Tennis players obviously want to go back to environments that they feel good in, in conditions that they feel good in.
“It’s early after the US Open; you’re never quite sure what motivation level other players have at that particular stage. So, if you’re asking me, I would have told her to make the same decision that she ultimately ended up making.”
