Billie Jean King Cup Finals 2024: Emma Raducanu win gives Great Britain lead against Germany
Since Raducanu won the 2021 U.S. Open as a junior qualifier, she has often found herself in the spotlight.
The situation is no different this week in Malaga, and while it’s often uncomfortable in a team environment, there are legitimate concerns about Raducanu’s fitness.
Raducanu has not played since September 21, when she withdrew from her Korea Open quarterfinal match against Daria Kasatkina with ligament damage in her left foot.
A month ago, she was wearing protective boots. On Thursday, she insisted she was ready. But what exactly would she look like?
After her first-round exit at the US Open, Raducanu lamented the lack of playing time in her preparations, raising legitimate questions about the clarity of her game in Malaga.
She showed some rustiness in her return in the opening meeting with No. 92 Niemeyer, but then quickly found her rhythm.
Her serve was particularly effective in the first set, especially in key moments.
Seven aces, four of which came as she tied the match from 0-40 to take a 5-3 lead and won 80 percent of the points on her first serve, hurt her.
Niemeyer, 25, has a strong game that has allowed her to succeed on Wimbledon grass, but after a strong start against Raducanu, her serve collapsed and her confidence appeared to suffer. was weakened.
After trading breaks early in the second set, Raducanu locked in mentally again and converted both breaks to take the lead.
But if the large number of Britons at the Sports Palace think there are simple conclusions to be drawn from there, they are wrong.
Raducanu’s lack of court time illustrates this point.
Raducanu lost a serve after wasting a match point at 5-2 and was unable to seize three more opportunities in the ninth game, but finally sealed the victory at the sixth question.
“I haven’t played in a long time, so the sharpness is going to come. I’m proud of the way I’ve regrouped,” Raducanu said.
