‘The Brits Love Being Underdogs’ – Emma Raducanu Ecstatic After First Victory on Clay At Billie Jean King Cup

British sensation Emma Raducanu admits that the Brits love being the ‘underdogs’. Raducanu is leading the British team at the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup. Under the guidance of the team captain, Anne Keothavong, the British team is currently playing the qualifier round against the 4th seeded Czech Republic.

The Two-day tie, taking place at the Tennis Club I.CLTK Prague, in Prague, had its first day yesterday. The first day saw the opening two singles matches take place. While the Czech Republic won the opening match, Raducanu equalized the tie score to 1-1 after winning the second singles against Tereza Martincova.

Seeing the results of the first day, the British captain, Anne Keothavong, asserted that they have got a good chance.

Anne Keothavong on Britain’s run on Day 1

Over the years, the Czech Republic has been one of the favorite teams to win the Billie Jean Cup. In the rich history of the cup, the Czech team has won the title a total of 11 times (5 as Czechoslovakia, 6 as the Czech Republic). On the contrary, the British team has never won the cup. In the 2022 draw of the Billie Jean Cup, the Czech Republic is the 4th seeded team. However, the British team remains an unseeded one.

Addressing the stats, Anne said, “We came here as underdogs. The Czechs are the heavy favorites.”

Living up to their favorites tag, the Czech team won their first match with complete ease. Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic beat Britain’s Harriet Dart 6-1, 6-0. However, representing her country for the first time, the 2021 US Open champion, Britain’s Emma Raducanu soon equalized the score by winning the second match. In the second match, Raducanu beat Tereza Martincova 7-, 7-5.

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Taking a look at both the matches, Anne admitted, “we will review how both matches went and put all the game plans in place.”

Playing against the best is always a pressure game for a player in an individual sport. However, it gets even more intense when playing as a team. Commenting on the player’s ability to execute their game under pressure, the Brit captain confessed, “It requires the players to be able to execute under pressure, but they will be as well prepared as possible.”

Emma Raducanu on being Brits being an underdog

Emma Raducanu rose to fame when she did the most unexpected thing by winning the 2021 US Open.  Coming in as a qualifier, Raducanu held her nerve and demonstrated great maturity in winning the title without dropping a set. Keeping her US Open triumph into consideration, it wouldn’t be wrong to admit that Raducanu knows the true meaning of being an underdog.

Adding on to Anne’s comments, Raducanu took a cheeky dig saying, “The Brits love being underdogs, by the way.”

Looking at the draw, Day 2 will feature the second round of the singles matches. Emma Raducanu and Marketa Vondrousova will lock horns in Match 3 of their tie followed by a clash between Harriet Dart and Tereza Martincova.

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Can Emma Raducanau lead Great Britain to victory over the Czech team? Or will the Czech Republic overpower the Brits?