Emma Raducanu must become more "robust", Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong said, after the US Open champion's physical frailties struck again in defeat by the Czech Republic.
The 19-year-old marked her debut in the competition on Friday by beating
Tereza Martincova in her first professional match on clay but struggled
with a blister on her right foot on Saturday and lost 6-1 6-1 to former
French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova in only 62 minutes. Raducanu took a medical timeout at the end of the first set before she limped and winced through the second set.
Raducanu struggled with a blister on her hand at the Australian Open, pulled out during a match in Mexico with a thigh problem and was hampered by a stiff back in Indian Wells. Her Team Captain explained:
"It does take time for a player to get used to life on the tour and
become more robust, and she certainly needs to become more robust. I
don't think that's any secret and she's working on it. The
more she puts herself out there, the more she continues to test herself
against the very best, she'll figure out a way that works for her."
Despite the blisters, Keothavong did not consider resting Raducanu,
saying:
"Before the match, we were aware she had a blister but it got
progressively worse for her during the match. There was no
indication of anything that said to us that she couldn't play or that
she wasn't ready to go out there and give it her absolute best."
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