Emma Raducanu’s work ethic impresses Katie Boulter: “She’s the first person on the courts in the morning”

Katie Boulter praised Emma Raducanu after Great Britain secured their spot in the Billie Jean King Cup quarterfinals. The British No. 1 and No. 2 sealed the series against Germany with victories, finishing 2-0 without needing a doubles match.

In the opening match, Raducanu (World No. 58) defeated Jule Niemeier (World No. 92) 6-4, 6-4. Later, Boulter (World No. 24) cruised past Laura Siegemund (World No. 84) 6-1, 6-2. In the next round, Great Britain will face defending champions Canada.

For Raducanu, this was her return to an official tournament after almost two months. Her last appearance had been at the Korea Open, where she retired during her quarterfinal match against Daria Kasatkina due to a foot injury. The 2021 US Open champion withdrew from the rest of the Asian swing and focused on recovery, with the BJK Finals as her target.

The 22-year-old delivered an encouraging performance despite her time away, setting the stage for Great Britain’s victory, which Boulter sealed less than two hours later. "She did incredibly well," Boulter said about her teammate.

“Obviously, she hasn’t played that many matches, so to see that level out there again, just doing really well, it’s really nice to see,” the World No. 24 added. "It’s where she belongs. I’m sure she’s going to be winning a lot of matches like these."

Raducanu, currently coached by Nick Cavaday, continues to improve and highlighted progress in her serve. The former World No. 10 won 76% of points on her first serve and delivered 10 aces against Niemeier. “I have been working on it,” Raducanu admitted after her win. “Training for next year, I do want to work on my serve and make that a bit more of a weapon.”

However, the World No. 58 acknowledged she’s not fully satisfied yet and sees room for improvement. “It does come with a bit of a tradeoff, I think especially in the early stages when I’m figuring it out still,” she added. “I have to take the double faults with the aces.”

On November 17, the quarterfinals will begin, with Great Britain taking on defending champions Canada. The Canadian team is led by former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez (World No. 31) and doubles World No. 3 Gabriela Dabrowski.

“What they achieved last year was remarkable, it really was,” Boulter said about their next opponents. “We’re not underestimating them by any means. They can be incredibly tough. They have a fantastic team spirit, but so do we. They are hungry to defend their title, but we are hungry to win.”

With proven singles players like Boulter and Raducanu, the Europeans have strong credentials to keep advancing. The British No. 1 also commented on Raducanu’s work ethic: “[She’s a] great player. Someone that I have a huge amount of respect for,” Boulter stated.

“She’s the first person on the courts in the morning when you come to the site and the last person there, and she works extremely hard,” she added. “I do have a lot of respect for her. We all know what she’s capable of. It will be an absolute battle, but I’m looking forward to it.”