Emma Raducanu rates her play in first match back in two months at BJK Cup Finals

Emma Raducanu thought that she did quite well in her comeback match as the British tennis star was pleased with how she played in a big win over Jule Niemeier to help Great Britain progress into the next stage at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

On Friday evening in Malaga, the 2021 US Open champion was the first on the court for Great Britain in their round-of-16 tie against Germany. And she got the job done after securing a 6-4 6-4 victory over world No. 92 Niemeier. For the former world No. 10, this was her first match since suffering a foot injury in mid-October. 

Early in the match, Raducanu didn’t convert a break point but took the German’s serve in the seventh game – saved five break point in the following game to go 5-3 up – before serving out for the opener in the 10th game. In the second set, the Briton struggled a bit on her serve since she dropped it twice but still managed to complete a two-set win after earning three breaks on her own. 

During the encounter, the British tennis star – who turned 22 on Wednesday – fired 10 aces and 25 winners, while she also had seven double faults and 28 unforced errors. 

“I think it’s a great way to come back, even though there is some pressure to score a point for your team. You’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for everyone. As an individual athlete, it’s not like a tour event. So I think having your team members on the side cheering you on when you might be a little bit nervous, and having the ability to use on-court coaching and getting feedback is very helpful when you haven’t played for a long time. But today I think I wasn’t very reliant on any information. I think I played pretty well and had things under control, just the right information at the right time,” Raducanu reflected.

After the 22-year-old beat Niemeier, Katie Boulter also dismantled Laura Siegemund 6-1 6-2 to seal Great Britain’s win and a quarterfinal meeting against Canada. 

Raducanu on struggling to close out the match

The former world No. 10 started the second set with a break in the opening game but then got broken back in the fourth game. However, she impressively responded by taking Niemeier’s serve two consecutive times to open a 5-2 lead. 

But then, the Briton failed to convert a match point on her serve in the eighth game before missing out on three more match points in the following game. Serving for the match for the second set, Raducanu managed to finally do it after converting her sixth match point. 

Reflecting on that, she suggested that she was even pleased in a way that it happened because it tests her. 

“I have been in that situation before. It’s not the first time I have been serving for it, had match points, and then got broken and had to kind of fight my way back into the match, and it’s not going to be the last time that happens either. I actually enjoy those moments as much as it’s possible to. I’m proud with how I regrouped, because it’s not easy,” the 2021 US Open champion explained.

Raducanu came fresh and with a goal to Malaga

Since she was out for two months, the 22-year-old had a good chance to rest before returning to practice and ultimately competing. And earlier this week, the British tennis star noted that she was hoping to get some good actions because she already has her eyes on preparing for 2025.

“While it’s the end of the season for a lot of players, I feel I’m just beginning to kick-start and get things in motion, training really well, training hard, and already building towards next year. I’m not really looking to have any more time off. I’m just looking forward to competing here this week and taking however this goes and improving on it for next year,” Raducanu said.

Also, the former world No. 10 warned the competition that the British team came for the main prize.

“I think we really back ourselves here. We have Boults who is a massive ball striker, it’s indoor tennis, she’s been playing really well in Asia, she won a lot of matches so I think she’s feeling really confident. I put a few really good weeks of training in, so I think I’m feeling quite confident in how I’m playing. For me, it will be just about adjusting to playing matches again. It’s been a few months, so I’m intrigued to see how that goes,” she said.

On Sunday, Raducanu will be back in action against Canada.