"We’ve been underdogs before in this competition" - Great Britain BJK Cup captain confident of upsetting strong Aussie squad despite lacking best players

Great Britain has not been handed a nice opening tie for their Billie Jean King Cup competition. They will have to travel halfway across the world to take on Australia at Melbourne Park in a qualifier from April 10-11. Emma Raducanu is among the absentees in a depleted British team as players put their attention towards the start of the clay swing.

The fixture is not just an awkward one in terms of travelling to and from, it crops up at a hugely important time in the WTA season. The clay swing is a huge opportunity for players to amass a large number of points on a different surface than what they have been used to in recent times.

A brace of WTA 1000 tournaments in the form of the Madrid Open and Rome Open will be at the centre of attention ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros. The top British players have therefore chosen to prioritise their careers over the chance to represent their country on the biggest stage.

Raducanu had already committed herself to the Upper Austria Ladies Linz tournament to commence the European clay-court season with Katie Boulter and Francesca Jones also not prepared to make the tricky trip Down Under. Team captain Anne Keothavong will have British number two Sonay Kartal in her ranks. Harriet Dart, Jodie Burrage, and BJK Cup debutant Mika Stojsavljevic will also make the arduous trip, with a fifth name being confirmed nearer the time.

Keothavong understood what a tricky decision it was for the players to choose, understanding why they would not make the journey and compete for their nation amid the circumstances.

“It’s a difficult time of year to be going back to Australia," she said while commentating on the Miami Open for Sky Sports Tennis. "It’s the start of the clay-court season for most of the players. I know most of the players take huge pride in representing Great Britain in this competition, but they also have to make choices for their own tennis and for their own health."

Despite not having the likes of Raducanu, Boulter and Jones to throw at the Aussies, she radiated confidence and belief that an upset could be produced. “But, look, for the girls who have agreed to be part of the team, it’s a tough ask to take on the Australians, who have fielded their strongest team. But you have to give yourself a chance and go out there as best prepared as possible, treat it for what it is, and have a go. We’ve been underdogs before in this competition and have been able to surprise many people, and got to go in with the same attitude.”

While Great Britain do not have a weak team, they will most certainly be the second favourites on paper against a strong Australian outfit. Aussie number one Maya Joint will lead them into battle on John Cain Arena with Talia Gibson, Storm Hunter, Kimberly Birrell and Ellen Perez all returning back to Australia.

Gibson especially will be one to keep an eye on. Ranked outside the top 100 heading into the Sunshine swing, she qualified for Indian Wells before defeating top 20 players Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson and Jasmine Paolini in a dream debut campaign before losing to Linda Noskova at the quarterfinal stage. She continued this fine form in the other side of the country. Qualifying for the Miami Open, the 21-year-old made more waves with standout victories over Naomi Osaka and Iva Jovic before Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina proved too strong for her. The Brits will have to be wary as they look forward to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for a third year in the spin, reaching the semi-finals in the prior two events.