Emma Raducanu has been given a ringing endorsement by Mirra Andreeva's coach, former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Although Raducanu has had challenging moments in 2024, including injury problems that ruled the 21-year-old out of almost the entire Asian swing, arguably her best moment of the season came in April at the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers.
Team Great Britain was a heavy underdog against France. The French were competing at home on an indoor clay court that, on paper, suited their team better than the Brits.
Julien Benneteau's team had Diane Parry, who usually produces her best tennis on clay, and Caroline Garcia, whose powerful style has achieved great results on all surfaces when firing.
By contrast, Raducanu has been least successful on clay, and Katie Boulter, currently Britain's No. 1 ranked singles player, had barely played on clay during her career because of injuries.
The expected script looked like it was being followed when Parry easily dismantled Boulter in the opening match. Raducanu faced Garcia in the next match on the opening day, with her team's chances already feeling like they were hanging by a thread.
Garcia won the opening set to lift the home crowd even further, and it seemed like British hopes were over. However, Raducanu stunned Garcia and those watching in the stands with an unbelievable final two sets to defeat Garcia and level the tie.
An even better match followed the next day against Parry. After Boulter beat Clara Burel to put the team 2-1 up, Raducanu won an incredible match 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 to seal Great Britain's place in the Finals.
It is hard to overstate how well Raducanu played against Parry. The Frenchwoman produced a superb performance but still lost what is undoubtedly one of the most underrated matches of 2024.
Raducanu's fortunes have been mixed since. Because of her recent injury, there were doubts about whether she would be fit for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, but the 21-year-old's team gave an encouraging update about her chances.
Martinez, who is the tournament director at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and Andreeva's coach, thinks Raducanu could play excellently at the event again and believes she is one of the best players out there.
"For any team, you want to have your best players, and Emma, we have seen she can play amazing tennis. I think it’s going to be great. I love that she is coming and I can’t wait to see her play."
"She’s one of the best tennis players out there with great results. It’s great that Great Britain can count on her and I think that when she’s played before, she’s passionate for her country."
Raducanu's presence would undoubtedly boost Team Great Britain's hopes ahead of their first-round tie against Germany on November 15th. If she plays as well as the qualifiers against France, it will be challenging for any player to stop the 2021 US Open champion.