Emma Raducanu withdrew from the upcoming Hong Kong Open, but the Briton has not given up on being fit for the year-end Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Raducanu deserves credit for avoiding the temptation to skip the rest of the season after what has been a mixed return to the sport in 2024. It shows how much representing Great Britain means to Raducanu.
The Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in April might be the best moment of Raducanu's season so far. Team Great Britain was a considerable underdog for their tie away from home on clay against France.
Clay is widely considered to be Raducanu's weakest surface. But the 21-year-old produced two stunning performances against Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry to play the most significant role in Great Britain reaching next month's Finals.
Other flashes of Raducanu's best tennis this year have included reaching the Nottingham Open semifinal and the Citi Open quarterfinal in Washington, where she only narrowly lost to eventual champion Paula Badosa.
However, Raducanu has also been criticized for some of her decision-making in 2024. The most notable example was when the Briton did not play a match for over three weeks before the US Open.
The 2021 champion at Flushing Meadows lost to Sofia Kenin in the opening round in New York this year, and some felt her decision not to play any tournaments beforehand was a reason for that.
Andy Roddick was among those who said Raducanu did herself no favors by making such decisions and suggested she should avoid taking that approach before a Grand Slam in the future.
After admitting she made a mistake by not playing any tournaments in the weeks before the US Open, Raducanu planned a busy Asian swing. She began with two victories at the Korea Open in Seoul.
Unfortunately, Raducanu had to retire after 31 minutes of the quarterfinal in Seoul against Daria Kasatkina. It was later revealed that she had sprained ligaments in her foot and would need time to recover.
That problem led to Raducanu missing the China Open, the Wuhan Open, and the Guangzhou Open. The former Grand Slam champion has now announced she will also miss the event in Hong Kong but is still fighting to be fit for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
"Hellooo, I’m sorry to say that I will not be able to play in Hong Kong next week. Whilst my foot is making good progress, I need a little more time before I am match fit. I hope to be able to come back and play this tournament in the future! In the meantime, I am doing what I can to be ready for BJKC."
The Billie Jean King Cup Finals run from November 13th to 20th, and Great Britain's first-round tie against Germany is on November 15th. That gives Raducanu a few weeks to get herself fit for the team event.
Although her participation cannot be guaranteed at this stage, not risking making the injury worse by returning too quickly at the Hong Kong Open should give Raducanu a better chance of being ready for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
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