British tennis star Emma Raducanu is back in action this week at the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers scheduled for April 12-13. The 21-year-old tennis star hasn’t competed since the Indian Wells Masters in early March. She withdrew from the 2024 Miami Open due to a ‘lower back injury’. Her return to the squad representing her nation against a do-or-die clash against France is surely a huge boost for Great Britain. Raducanu will take on France’s Caroline Garcia in her first match.

This match will in fact be her first appearance at this tournament since 2022. And if she manages to win at least one or two matches in Le Portel then, Great Britain will be in a great position to spring a surprise and reach the BJK Cup Finals later this year. But stands in her way is Caroline Garcia, who has had some outstanding results over some of her biggest opponents this year. Will she repeat the same against the former British number 1?

Emma Raducanu vs Caroline Garcia: Preview

Injuries and inconsistency have been a major cause of Emma Raducanu’s downfall over the last couple of years. Since her US Open triumph in 2021, she has yet to win any other title in her career. Raducanu has been criticized heavily over her poor performance in the last few months. But British former tennis player, Laura Robson is quite optimistic about Emma Raducanu after seeing her performance at the Indian Wells. Robson said, “She played some really good matches in Indian Wells.”

She went on to add, “I thought she was hitting the ball very cleanly, going for her shots and trying to play super-aggressively.” Looking at Raducanu’s performance this year, she has played a total of 10 matches so far this season and has a win-loss record of 5-5. Emma Radcuanu has won 66.3% of her service games in 2024 and won 63.2% of her first serve. But in return games, she has managed to win only 35%. If take a look at her overall win-loss record, she has a record of 103-54 so far in her career.

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Raducanu’s best performance this year came at the ASB Classic and Abu Dhabi Open, where she reached the R16. She reached the R32 of the Indian Wells this year but was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka by a 3-6,5-7 margin. Can she make a comeback to winning ways with a victory against Caroline Garcia?

Caroline Garcia is known for her ‘Giant-Killing’ abilities and we’ve seen her incredible performances over some of the top WTA stars in the last few months. The 30-year-old tennis star from France has played 17 matches so far this season and has a win-loss record of 9-8. Garcia created a historic moment last year by serving the highest number of aces (462) in the 2023 season.

But if we look at her stats for this year, she has managed to hit 123 aces so far this season and has committed 46 double faults. Surely, her serving abilities will keep Raducanu on her toes in this mega-clash. Garcia has won 77% of her service games this season. She has won 71.4% of her first serve and 21.2% of her return games. Her best performance this year came at the Miami Open, where she reached the QF. But she was defeated by the eventual champion, Danielle Collins by 3-6,2-6. Can Caroline Garcia prove herself yet again on a bigger stage?

Raducanu vs Garcia: Head-to-Head

Emma Raducanu and Caroline Garcia have met each other on two occasions in the past. Both of them came in the same year itself. First, they crossed the roads at the 2022 Indian Wells. That time, Emma Raducanu defeated the former world number 4 in a thrilling three-setter by a 6-1,3-6,6-1 margin. Their next meeting was at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, where Caroline Garcia took her revenge over the former world number 10 by defeating her emphatically by a 6-3,6-3 margin. What will be the results this time around?

Raducanu won her first senior match on clay against Tereza Martincová of the Czech Republic at the 2022 BJK Cup qualifying rounds by 7-5,7-5. But she faced defeat in her next match against Marketa Vondrousova by a 1-6,1-6 margin. Eventually, Great Britain had to lose the draw by a 3-2 margin. That draw was played on the clay court. And even this time it will be played on the indoor clay courts in Le Portel. Will Raducanu manage a different outcome this time around for her nation?

Prediction: Garcia to win in two sets

Although clay courts are not, the ‘most preferred surface’ of Emma Raducanu she’s quite excited to start her clay court season in France. She recently said, “I’m enjoying the challenge of it.” The British tennis star went on to add,  “I think in the future, it’s going to be a surface that will actually really suit me, I think, maybe I’m a little bit away from that right now, but I’m enjoying it.” 

Even her teammates have expressed their excitement on her return to the national team. This will be Raducanu’s only second tie for her nation and she’s also eyeing for a spot in the national to represent Great Britain at the Paris Olympics.

Can she make her comeback a memorable one? Looking at the current form of Caroline Garcia, that seems to be very unlikely at the moment. Having said that, one must never make the mistake of doubting Emma Raducanu’s potential.

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