Team GB captain Anne Keothavong is disappointed not to be able to call upon Emma Raducanu for Billie Jean King Cup duty but says she has full belief in the players at her disposal.
Raducanu had originally been selected for this week’s quarter-final against Japan but withdrew to play in the Korea Open in Seoul as a wild card.
The 2021 US Open champion got her campaign in that competition off to a solid start, beating Jaqueline Cristin in straight sets in the first round and now faces 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in the second round on Thursday morning, live on Sky Sports.
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Highlights of Raducanu against Cristian from the Korea Open
Despite being without their top player, Keothavong is targeting a very strong performance from Team GB, who replaced Raducanu with Francesca Jones in a group that also includes Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage.
“It’s obviously disappointing, but I do want the main focus to be on the players I have and the challenge we have ahead,” Keothavong said.
“I believe in the players that I’ve got. How the team were able to perform in April to get us into this position was fantastic, and I see no reason why we can’t do the same.
“Players will make decisions they feel is in their best interest, but my focus is just on this team.
Katie Boulter is part of Team GB for the Billie Jean King Cup
“We take a huge amount of pride in this competition and we do want to be world champions.”
Japan will also be without their No 1 player Naomi Osaka for Team GB’s first game of a tournament in which Keothavong is confident the team can go one better than in previous visits.
“I think we’ve got a real shot at winning it,” Keothavong said.
“We are the second seeds here, having reached the semi-finals twice in the past few years and come close to going further.”
It was a disappointing day, though, for Cameron Norrie, who suffered a shock 6-7 (3) 6-4 7-6 (2) loss against 304th-ranked Chinese wild card Zhou Yi at the Chengdu Open, with the 20-year-old saving a match point.
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