Emma Raducanu-led Great Britain qualifies for Billie Jean King Cup Finals as hosts
The Emma Raducanu-led Great Britain team narrowly missed out on booking a spot in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after losing to tournament powerhouse Czech Republic 3-2 in the playoffs in April.
The team members, however, were in for a surprise when organisers named Glasgow as the host, thereby assuring them a spot in the Finals.
The @BJKCup is coming home 🇬🇧
Speaking after the news was announced, non-playing captain Anne Keothavong shared her delight in an interview with the BBC.
"It is what it is. It's just the nature of the competition and the circumstances. The fact we are willing hosts and that allows us the opportunity to be one of 12 teams in Glasgow, I just see as a positive," Keothavong said.
Keothavong also said that the team was thrilled about the news and that everyone was looking forward to playing in front of the home crowd.
"This is an amazing opportunity to build the profile of women's tennis and focus attention on women's sport. The entire team are thrilled about playing in front of a home crowd and hearing some loud support across the whole week," Keothavong said.
Emma Raducanu to lead Great Britain at Billie Jean King Cup
Emma Raducanu earned her first claycourt win in the Billie Jean King Cup play-off tie against the Czech Republic's Tereza Martincova in April. The 7-5 7-5 win was not enough to seal the tie for Great Britain as they were knocked out after losing the deciding doubles rubber.
The 19-year-old will now have the opportunity to lead her country in the competition with the added advantage of playing in front of home fans.
Speaking after Glasgow was confirmed as the hosts, chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the sport's governing body in Great Britain, Scott Lloyd said they were keen to bring more major events to the country.
"This gives us a great chance to open up tennis to more people. And create special memories that we hope will inspire the next generation of players," Lloyd said.
The Billie Jean King Cup Finals are scheduled to be played between November 8–13.