Emma Raducanu Accused of ‘Emotionally Checking Out’ by Billie Jean King Cup Captain

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Emma Raducanu was accused of ‘emotionally checking out’ by her Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong after her worst display of the year in Madrid.

The 21-year-old lost 6-2, 6-2 to Argentinian qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle, making 34 unforced errors in a wildly erratic display.

After two wins in the Billie Jean King Cup and two in Stuttgart, this brought the first phase of Raducanu’s clay season to a screeching halt.

‘Starting from Billie Jean King Cup, I haven’t stopped,’ she said. ‘I was very happy being able to help carry the team in BJK Cup and then straight to Stuttgart with no rest and then straight here and trying to adapt to the conditions. They are very different because it’s outdoors and I was playing indoors for the last month. Many factors made it very difficult to fully compete.

‘I’m going to take a few days off and rest a little bit because I’ve been going non-stop for the last month. From the performance it was very clear that mentally and emotionally I was exhausted.’

Emma Raducanu was knocked out the first round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday

The 21-year-old was bested 6-2 6-2 by her Argentinian counterpart Maria Lourdes Carle

The 21-year-old was bested 6-2 6-2 by her Argentinian counterpart Maria Lourdes Carle

Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong did not hold back in her criticism

Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong did not hold back in her criticism

Keothavong, on punditry duty for Sky Sports, said: ‘She’s made a meal of this match. She touched on the fact that, “Yes, I’m tired”. But do you talk yourself into more tiredness? On the one hand it’s good to acknowledge it but if you are going to go out on the match court you’ve got to be prepared to leave it all out there. That willingness just didn’t seem evident.

‘Should she have taken the wildcard? Maybe in hindsight it would have been better to take this week off and go to play qualifying in Rome. Those last few points, that’s just not good enough. That’s poor. You can’t emotionally check out.’

It is surprising to hear GB’s Cup captain be so openly critical of her player but it is difficult to argue. This does look like a scheduling error from Raducanu, perhaps beguiled by the juicy ranking points on offer in Madrid.

Raducanu will return to London to rest before deciding her next step on the clay. She is not guaranteed a place in next month’s French Open but is fifth alternate, so has a fair chance of making it in if enough players withdraw.

Her coach Nick Cavaday was unable to be in Madrid for her match and Raducanu said: ‘I definitely missed him so that kind of sucked. But I had Iain (Bates, of the LTA) here. It was great he was able to drop everything and come out last-minute. It’s not easy but the circumstances don’t always align how you want.’

There is no suggestion of any issue with the partnership — indeed, Raducanu’s words suggest coach Cavaday may be longer for this world than his predecessors.

To a player at the opposite pole of their career, Rafael Nadal cast doubt on his participation at his beloved French Open, saying: ‘If I arrive in Paris the way I feel today, I will not play. I will play Roland Garros if I feel competitive. If I can’t play, I can’t. It won’t be the end of the world or the end of my career. I still have goals after Roland Garros like the Olympics.’

The Spaniard plays American Darwin Blanch — aged 16, 21 years Nadal’s junior.

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