British Billie Jean King Cup team captain Anne Keothavong has stated that Emma Raducanu “needs to become more robust” as the former British player acknowledged that the tour is very demanding.
Raducanu, 19, made her Billie Jean King Cup singles debut this past weekend.
On Friday, Raducanu defeated Tereza Martincova 7-5 7-5 in her first pro clay match.
The following day, Raducanu was hampered by blisters and stood no chance against Marketa Vondrousova as the Czech claimed a dominant 6-1 6-1 victory.
Raducanu required a medical intervention at the end of the first set and limped through the second set before ultimately losing in straight sets.
Earlier this season, Raducanu was hampered by a thigh issue in Mexico and dealt with a back issue in Indian Wells.
“It does take time for a player to get used to life on the tour and become more robust, and she certainly needs to become more robust. I don’t think that’s any secret and she’s working on it,” said Keothavong.
“The more she puts herself out there, the more she continues to test herself against the very best, she’ll figure out a way that works for her.”
Keothavong: There was no indication Raducanu couldn’t play
After the match, Raducanu said the blister completely stopped her from moving.
“Before the match, we were aware she had a blister but it got progressively worse for her during the match,” Keothavong added.
“There was no indication of anything that said to us that she couldn’t play or that she wasn’t ready to go out there and give it her absolute best.”
Harriet Dart defeated Linda Fruhvirtova to send the tie into a decider but Great Britain fell just short of completing a comeback after Vondrousova and Karolina Muchova defeated Dart and Katie Swan to bring the Czech side the crucial third point.
“I do feel really proud of all the players and the team effort that’s gone into this weekend. The fact that we took it all the way down to the deciding rubber just shows how much guts and courage the players had today. Overall we came close but fell short,” Keothavong added.