Team GB tennis stars speak out on upsetting Wimbledon champion without Emma Raducanu
Katie Boulter and the British squad will be huge underdogs against a strong Czech side at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on Tuesday. But GB captain Anne Keothavong believes her team can rise to the challenge as they face Wimbledon finalists Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova.
British No.1 Boulter leads the squad, which does not feature Emma Raducanu, as she continues to recover from a stress fracture. Sonay Kartal is making her return from a six-month injury layoff, while Harriet Dart, Mika Stojsavljevic, and Jodie Burrage also got the call-up for Britain.
This is the fourth time in five years that the Brits have reached the BJK Cup Finals – effectively the World Cup of women’s tennis. But they have work to do against the Czech squad, which features two top-10 players and doubles world No.1 Katerina Siniakova.
Ahead of their quarter-final clash, Keothavong said: “Respect is given to the opposition. We’re up against a team who have a Wimbledon champion and Wimbledon finalist. You name it, there’s not a lot that those players haven’t achieved.
“But I believe in my team. I believe they’re able to rise to the challenge. They’re motivated. They’re up for it, as always. There is a collective goal here. That hasn’t changed over the years.
“This is a competition for us as a nation that means a lot. It’s the only team event in women’s tennis. Our ambition is still to win this competition one day. To do that, we know we have to beat the best.”
Boulter, who has won 17 matches in singles and doubles for Britain, did not feature in April’s qualifier tie against Australia, which saw Dart, Stojsavljevic and Burrage win their matches to cause a huge upset and reach the Finals.
Now back in the squad, the world No. 54 said: “I think it was a tremendous effort from all the girls that are sat here now at the start of the year. Obviously I’m very well involved in Billie Jean King Cup. I’m always watching. I like to watch and see how everyone is doing. I supported them from afar on that one.
“To be back in the team, it means so much to me. These are the weeks I live for. I play my heart out in these ones. So that’s my plan here. Yeah, we are up against it, but I’m very, very excited for this tie.”
The BJK Cup Finals also marks Kartal’s first tournament since Indian Wells in March, when she reached the round of 16 before retiring with a back injury. A stress fracture kept her out for six months, and she was unable to defend the ranking points she earned for reaching the second week of Wimbledon in 2025.
Ahead of her comeback, the former world No. 44 said: “It was a very tough six months, for sure. First long injury out. Yeah, there is no better way that I would want to make my return to this event. I watched the tie in Australia. Was gutted to have to miss that one. I love these girls. We have a lot of fun.”
