Emma Raducanu is poised to end Great Briain’s 61-year injury at the Billie Jean King in Malaga, Spain. The Briton has expressed her desire to bring laurels back home and notably revealed why she loves representing her nation at group events rather than participating in individual tour-level events.

After enduring an injury-plagued time, wherein she underwent multiple surgeries on her ankles and wrist to correct her physical issues, the British sensation finally seems to be getting back on track. Though she came back flourishing briefly at the Korea Open, Raducanu was forced to concede in the third round after injury scares took a toll on her performance. However, she has returned to action in style at the annual group event.

She overpowered Germany’s Jule Neimeier in her nation’s opener at the BJK Cup. As Great Britain chases their first victory at the women’s championship, the former US Open winner highlighted playing in support of her team was “a great way to come back, even though there is some pressure to score a point for your team”. Later, Raducanu expressed that she thrives “on a good crowd. Before the tie in April, I had a very good training block. Before this, I had three good weeks of practice, too. I think it’s also just a result of that good work.”

For those unaware, Raducanu has a 4-1 winning record in singles clashes for her country. With her latest triumph, the Brit now flaunts a 3-0 score for the season; she won both her ties against France earlier this year in April to confirm Britain’s spot in the finals. That’s not the end of it. The young talent received heartwarming applause from the crowd in Malaga for a special reason.

Malaga crowd cheers Emma Raducanu to victory moments before singing Happy Birthday

On Wednesday, Emma Raucanu turned 22 years old. While birthday celebrations took a back seat owing to her outstanding BJK Cup commitment and preparations for the event, the crowd did not forget to celebrate the day with her, or at least, make her feel at home while performing in a demanding event as such.

She later told the media, “I want to say thank you so much to everyone for coming out here, traveling out, and especially given the conditions and the circumstances with the weather. We appreciate it, and it honestly makes such a big difference, because, yeah, we get fired up.  We don’t want to let the crowd down. We don’t want to let everyone who came out down. Yeah, it’s an amazing experience to be a part of. We are very lucky the crowd is with us, but even so, I think that’s what sport is about, playing in front of an amazing atmosphere.”

Thriving on her newfound form, Raducanu is looking strong in Malaga. With eyes set on the prize, the Briton will likely aim to suspend Canada’s title defense and, with it, bring glory to her nation.