Raducanu and Boulter team up for BJK Cup challenge

Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter will be team-mates for the first time when Great Britain play France in their Billie Jean King Cup qualifying match in Le Portel next month.

These are the two leading players of their generation – even if Raducanu’s ranking remains stuck in the low 200s following last year’s seven-month injury lay- off – and they should have a chance of reversing last year’s 3-1 loss against the same opponents in Coventry.

France are sixth on the BJK Cup rankings ladder, nine places ahead of Britain, but this is arguably the strongest team captain Anne Keothavong has fielded. The lineup is completed by Harriet Dart and Heather Watson but it is unlikely either would be selected for singles, assuming everyone reports fit.

Raducanu’s decision to participate will also help her when it comes to qualifying for the Olympic tennis event, because the entry rules stipulate two appearances in national team events during the four-year ( or, in this case, threeyear) cycle.

Her only previous outing in the BJK Cup came against the Czech Republic two years ago, when she overcame Tereza Martincova but was then heavily defeated by future Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in a match in which she was restricted by a blister on her foot.

By playing against France next month, Raducanu will meet one of the entry criteria for Paris in July. Yet more hurdles remain. She will either need to score enough victories to be ranked in the world’s top 56 by June 10 – which marks the end of the clay-court season – or to receive one of the two special spots reserved for former gold medallists or grand slam champions.

Boulter, who is among the 20 leading performers of 2024, will be the British No 1. She will most likely come up against Caroline Garcia again, as she did in last year’s match in Coventry when she was edged out in a 3hr 26min epic, which included tie-breaks in all three sets, which set the platform for France’s win.