Emma Raducanu return scheduled For BJK Cup in April After harsh criticism in 2023.

Emma Raducanu has been selected for Great Britain’s forthcoming qualifiers against France, which means she will be playing for the Billie Jean King Cup again.

Keothavong, the captain of the British BJK Cup team, made her selection for the France tie, which is scheduled for April 12–13 in Le Portel, France, public on Friday. In addition to Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, Keothavong also included Katie Boulter, Heather Watson, Harriet Dart, and the current San Diego champion.

This will be Raducanu’s second time competing on the court for the Billie Jean King Cup. Raducanu did not participate in the 2020 BJK Cup despite being selected for the first time.
However, Raducanu was the top-ranked British woman when she was selected for the 2022 April qualifiers against the Czech Republic. She participated in two matches, winning the first BJK Cup match against Tereza Martincova and losing the second to Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion.

Keothavong released a statement saying, “I’m delighted to be traveling with a full-strength team off the back of some terrific results recently.”

“As always, the French side will be a formidable obstacle, but we all know how inspiring it is to represent Great Britain, and as a team, we are growing stronger and better every year.”

Raducanu made her BJK Cup comeback last year, following harsh criticism.
Raducanu didn’t participate in the BJK Cup Finals later that year after making her BJK Cup debut in April of 2022. Raducanu then opted not to compete in Britain’s 2023 qualifying match against France due to the hard surface and her commitment to a clay-court competition in Stuttgart the following week. Raducanu faced significant outrage and criticism for her BJK Cup selection in the British media around this time last year.

However, Raducanu said earlier this month that she will play France this year because the match is played on clay and it wouldn’t interfere with her participation in Stuttgart.

When questioned about her availability for the BJK Cup in Indian Wells earlier this month, Raducanu responded, “I don’t know if I’ll get the call-up.”

“But if she (British team captain Anne Keothavong) asks me to, I think it makes sense because it’s before Stuttgart (which is also) on indoor clay.”