Aryna Sabalenka recently roared back to destiny, seizing the year’s final Slam with a ruthless takedown of American hope Amanda Anisimova under the bright New York lights. And as the US Open curtain fell, the tour staggered into its next chapters, the Asian swing, WTA Finals, and the Billie Jean King Cup, yet the aftershocks kept coming. Big names lit up headlines in the fallout, with Naomi Osaka, Madison Keys, and more stepping away from the Billie Jean King Cup, leaving a trail of questions and drama as the season hurtled toward its fiery finale.

José Morgado dropped a post-US Open bombshell a couple of moments ago, revealing a talent exodus from the Billie Jean King Cup. His tweet thundered, “Osaka, Keys and Zheng (this one expected) all out of the BJK Cup Finals. Initial line ups were great. Not as much anymore,” leaving fans stunned as the drama thickens before the season’s end.

Recently, Emma Raducanu has also made headlines once again, this time for her decision to skip the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and instead compete at the Korea Open. The British star has been granted a wildcard into the Seoul event, choosing to prioritize her individual comeback over national duty. The move could prove crucial in her bid to climb back into the WTA top 30, as she looks to build momentum and match fitness heading into the 2025 season.

China’s top-ranked star and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen has also withdrawn from the BJK Cup Finals in Shenzhen, with organizers confirming the news on Tuesday. Zheng underwent right elbow surgery in July and missed the US Open, making her absence expected yet disappointing for the home crowd. The withdrawals pile on to earlier news that Iga Swiatek had already decided in April to skip the competition to “focus on myself and my training.”

With Naomi Osaka and Madison Keys also out, the BJK Cup line-up has thinned considerably. The field now features key names such as Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula, and Elena Rybakina, but the absence of several top-20 players has inevitably changed the tournament’s star power and fan expectations.

Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong addressed the issue candidly, framing it as a structural challenge rather than a player failing. “The calendar is just makes it so difficult for players, so I’m empathetic as to how they are. The tennis circuit is brutal – you go from one week to the next and there’s not much time to rest and recover,” she told.

Keothavong stressed that it was “a tennis problem, not a player problem,” acknowledging that players often have to make tough choices between representing their country and preserving their health for the tour grind.

And it’s not just the BJK Cup feeling the pinch; the Davis Cup has also seen notable withdrawals in its own line-ups this season. As the dust from the US Open settles, both team competitions face questions about scheduling and player availability in an already relentless tennis calendar.

Top stars pull out of Davis Cup post-US Open

After a grueling fortnight at Flushing Meadows, several of tennis’ biggest names are opting out of the upcoming Davis Cup qualifiers. Carlos Alcaraz, fresh off his US Open title, headlines the list of withdrawals alongside Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. The qualifiers, scheduled for September 12-13, will now miss some of the most in-form stars from the hard-court season.

Alcaraz, who powered through to lift the trophy in New York, has made no secret of his need for recovery. Speaking to Spanish journalist German R. Abril, he admitted, “[Translated from Spanish] One of the few bad things about tennis is that it never stops. You win something and you practically have one day or no day to enjoy the success. For me, it’s important to cherish what I win with my people.”

The 22-year-old added that 2025 has been a year of growth in this regard. “So what I learned mostly this year is about to take moments of every tournament, every experience that you’re living, and enjoy. And enjoy with my team, with my family, with the people you have around.” His words capture the balance players struggle to find in the relentless tour calendar.

For Team USA, the withdrawals hit hard. A full-strength squad was initially announced before the US Open, including Paul, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe. But injuries forced Shelton and Paul to pull out, resulting in Rajeev Ram, Reilly Opelka, and Austin Krajicek being called up as replacements.

Spain faces similar setbacks, as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina joined Alcaraz on the sidelines. Their absence has opened the door for Jaume Munar, Roberto Carballes Baena, and Pablo Carreno Busta to step in for the tie against Denmark.

With so many withdrawals, questions linger about whether the Davis Cup, like the Billie Jean King Cup, can sustain its prestige in a packed calendar. For fans, the passion remains, but without marquee names, the challenge is keeping these historic events at the heart of the tennis season.