"I don't think you can blame her for a schedule that makes zero sense": Emma Raducanu receives support from ex-coach for skipping Billie Jean King Cup

Emma Raducanu’s ex-coach Mark Petchey has backed her decision not to feature in the Billie Jean King Cup. The one-time Grand Slam winner is going through a decent season where she has produced some impressive performances in the singles category. She has played in 44 matches in the singles category in 2025, winning 26 of them.

Her best performance this year came at the DC Open, where she was eventually knocked out after losing in the semifinal to Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets. Despite producing some of the best tennis of her young career on the court, Raducanu has been in hot water after receiving criticism for not taking part in the team-based competition.

Instead of representing Great Britian in the upcoming contest, Raducanu decided to feature in the upcoming Korea Open where she will play her first match on Tuesday in the round of 32 against Jaqueline Cristian of Romania. Raducanu’s decision to skip the Billie Jean King Cup finals where Great Britain is set to face Japan was based on the fact that she wanted to continue working with her new coach Francisco Roig, whom she largely praised during the US Open as well where she was knocked out after losing in the third round to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-2.

Raducan received some criticism from different sections of the tennis community, especially in her home country. The decision did not go down well with the LTA, as well, who expressed their unhappiness over Raducanu’s call not to take part in the Billie Jean King Cup. “Of course we are disappointed. However, we believe we have a great team and we're looking forward to competing in Shenzhen," said an LTA spokesperson in a statement as quoted by BBC Sport.

Raducanu, however, has finally found some support in the form of her former coach Petchey. Petchey spoke to tennis betting site BetVictor where he backed Raducanu for deciding not to take part in the competition. Petchey was of the opinion that one should blame Raducanu for preferring on the singles side of the competitions in such a tight schedule.

“There's always two sides to everything,” said Petchey. “It's very easy to come down on the side that you should want to represent your country. To be fair to Emma, when you look back at what she achieved on the clay against France, she proved that when she's put up against it, she can A, produce the goods and B does want to play. I don't think you can blame Emma for a schedule that makes zero sense.”

Petchey, who was Raducanu’s coach before Roig, who is famous for working with the former world number one Rafael Nadal, then spoke about what Raducanu’s objective should be going forward. Petchey was of the opinion that Raducanu should continue to focus on playing in the singles event, and her objective must be to arrive in Australia in the best shape possible.

“For me when I was with her and before Francisco took over the reins full time, it was a 50-50 call for me in that regard,” said Petchey. “If you're asking me personally, from a purely selfish point of view of wanting to be in the best position for Australia, I would tell her not to play. From a PR point of view, you know that people are going to take it badly. But a tennis player’s career is short. She's suddenly on an upward curve. She understands the importance of wanting to get seeded. The tournament in Seoul is one that she obviously has played well at in the past. Tennis players obviously want to go back to environments that they feel good in, in conditions that they feel good in. It's early after the US Open; you're never quite sure what motivation level other players have at that particular stage. So, if you're asking me, I would have told her to make the same decision that she ultimately ended up making.”