Billie Jean King impressed by Britain's Katie Boulter, urges Emma Raducanu 'patience' - 'People should pay attention'
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Updated 15/11/2024 at 12:55 GMT
Great Britain face Germany on Friday for a place in the Billie Jean King Cup quarter-finals. The American legend who the tournament is named after has spoken about the British stars in action, praising Katie Boulter as a player who "people should pay attention to." She also discussed Emma Raducanu's injury issues, urging patience and saying she needs to find "momentum" after another lay-off.
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Billie Jean King believes Great Britain’s Katie Boulter is a player “people should pay attention to,” while the American legend sympathised with Emma Raducanu’s injury issues.
The Brits begin their bid for a maiden Billie Jean King Cup title against Germany on Friday, with the winner set to face reigning champions Canada in the quarter-finals.
Boulter (No. 24) and Raducanu (No. 58) are the highest-ranked British singles players in Anne Keothavong’s squad and key to their hopes of progress in Malaga.
But Raducanu has had another injury-disrupted year, and is set to make her first competitive outing since September following a spell out with a foot issue.
Raducanu has been beset by injuries since a stunning breakthrough win at the US Open in 2021, but a run to the last 16 at Wimbledon this year marked her best Grand Slam run since that success in New York.
"If she can stay healthy long enough, then we'll see how good she is," King told the BBC.
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"But if you keep getting injured, you never get that momentum going. If you've been injured - really injured - I always want to give a player at least a year and a half to recover.
"It takes a lot to come back from injury, and you have got to be very patient."
Raducanu said ahead of the tie with Germany that she was “feeling quite confident in how I’m playing” after a “few really good weeks of training.”
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King - People 'don't appreciate Boulter enough'
Boulter will also be key to success after a strong year in which she reached her career-high ranking of 23rd in the world earlier this month.
Boulter finished runner-up at the Hong Kong Open in her last outing and has had the most successful season of her career, winning titles in Nottingham and San Diego.
Something of a late bloomer aged 28, the British No. 1 has impressed King despite being yet to make a deep run at a major.
"Katie Boulter, people should pay attention to her," King said.
"I've been watching her for about five years now and every year she has got a little bit better.
"I don't think people appreciate her enough. She's got quicker, she's got more consistent."
Great Britain reached the BJK Cup Finals by beating France 3-1 in April, when Raducanu recorded two singles wins.
Bidding to reach the last eight for the first time in two years, the Brits are up against a Germany team led by singles players Laura Siegemund and Jule Niemeier.
The BJK Cup Finals take place from November 13-20 in Malaga, Spain, with Canada, Australia, Czech Republic and Italy already guaranteed quarter-final places.
Japan and Slovakia have since reached the last eight, after 2-1 victories over Romania and the United States respectively.
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