Emma Raducanu returned to the tennis courts at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup, and she was apparently quite excited to be back.
The British player hasn't played since the Indian Wells Open, withdrawing from the Miami Open. She took a month away from the courts, but she was ready to return on clay to represent her country in the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers.
Playing in Le Portel, France, gave the French players a home court advantage, and Diane Parry used it in her first match against current British no. 1, Katie Boulter, as after the Brit won the first two games, the Frenchwoman went on to win 12 in a row to win the match 6-2, 6-0.
Raducanu, therefore, faced a lot of pressure to deliver the crucial point to her country, as they would be losing already 0-2 if she had lost to Caroline Garcia, but that didn't happen.
Raducanu bested Garcia in three sets, but a bit later than she initially thought. The 2021 US Open champion lost the first set 3-6, but she won the second set 6-3, and in the third set, she was clearly the better player.
After breaking her opponent's serve twice, Raducanu led already 4-1, serving to confirm the break and come within one game of match victory, but in her head, she was already serving for the match.
After sending a powerful serve down the middle, the British player clinched her first and walked towards the net to shake her opponent's hand, but her bench signalized that the match was not over yet.
She immediately realized what happened and returned to the baseline, losing the following game, but once again holding her serve to win the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. While the moment was really funny, it just showed how excited the Brit was to get back to winning.
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