Raducanu’s 2022 season came to an early end when she was forced to withdraw from the Transylvanian Open with a wrist injury. The British No.1 had hoped to recover in time to represent her country in the BJK Cup final this month, but on Friday she announced that she was withdrawing from the team tournament.
Team captain Keothavong has now given an update on the teenager’s fitness after the 19-year-old began working with Jez Green, the former strength and conditioning coach of Andy Murray, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem, and says that things are looking up. .
“She did her best to be basically fit for Glasgow but that wasn’t going to happen,” the former World No.48 said. Raducanu’s injury is believed to have prevented her from hitting a pitch, with the Team GB captain revealing that the British No.1 only withdrew from the BJK Cup when she attempted to have a hit and was disappointed.
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While he didn’t have enough time to recover before Great Britain hosts the Finals in Glasgow, Keothavong said there was already a change in Raducanu’s physique following his recent training sessions at the National Tennis Center in Roehampton. She added: “That’s a priority right now and he looks pretty fit and strong.
“I think that the work that she has done in the last few weeks, when you see her, you will see [it].” Raducanu’s fitness has been an issue at times in her first year on the professional tennis tour, with the teenager from Bromley retiring mid-match on four separate occasions this season.
But Keothavong thought those days might be behind her for the Briton, as the 2021 US Open champion already sees improvement with the season-shortening wrist injury. “Wrist injuries are never easy, but I think this one is under control,” she explained. “She has good people around her and she has used her time to really work on other areas of her fitness. Right now, from what I understand, she is something that she will recover from and she trusts that, she just needs a little more time and the Billie Jean King Cup is too soon.”
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While Raducanu has been ruled out playing in front of a home crowd in Glasgow this month, the 39-year-old has hinted that fans may yet see their best player in the BJK Cup Finals as she teased a potential surprise appearance. of the number 79 in the world, who could be in the stands to cheer on her team.
“It just depends on other things and obviously she’s trying to focus on getting fit and ready. If she’s not supporting from the side, then she will be from afar,” Keothavong said. Raducanu’s replacements have already been announced, as only four of the five-woman squad had been confirmed before she stepped down, leaving two vacant spots in the squad.
Britain’s top-ranked women’s doubles pair, Alicia Barnett and Olivia Nicholls, received their first call-up to the team, when Keothavong explained her decision. “What [Barnett and Nicholls] they’ve done over the past year has surprised a lot of people, myself included, but I think they’ve proven themselves,” she said, referring to the pair’s first WTA Tour victory earlier this year in Granby.
“I’m looking at possible matchups and styles of play and what can upset the opposition when I watch the doubles match. Whoever plays is not going to be an easy game. Whether it’s singles or doubles, they’re going to have to play very well. That is the nature of the event. But in this situation, given the format of the competition, we have an established pair that gives me another option if I need it.”
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