Emma Raducanu has turned her back on representing Great Britain in a tennis competition.
The 22-year-old was set to lead the the British team in the quarter-finals of the Billie Jean Cup, which gets underway on 18 September.
But she withdrew from Anne Keothavong’s team after she was offered a wild card to compete at the Korea Open. Raducanu takes on Jaqueline Cristian in the opening round of the competition in Seoul.
The young British star is the eighth seed in the tournament, as she aims to improve on her current world ranking of 33. Her match against Cristian is her first appearance since she lost in the US Open third round to Elena Rybakina.
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She is the strong favourite for her opening match, but would likely face a difficult second-round against Barbora Krejcikova, who takes on Tatiana Prozorova.
The Czech 29-year-old is a former world number two and reached the US Open quarter-finals earlier this month.
Although Raducanu and Krejcikova have never played each other, the Briton has struggled against the game's best players.
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She has won just three of 18 matches in her career against top-10 opponents. She was knocked out of all four Grand Slams this season by players ranked within the top 10.
Raducanu emerged as a star within tennis back in 2021 when she won the US Open to end Britain's 44-year wait for a female Grand Slam winner.
Her unbelievable triumph meant she broke several long-standing records as she became the first qualifier in the Open era to win a Slam.
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As impressive as her achievement was, she did not have to face any of the world's top 10 to win the title.
Her final was against another youngster, as she defeated the then 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez in straight sets.
Four years on from that victory and Raducanu has struggled to live up to the lofty expectations upon her.
She has made several changes to her coaching setup, and has now had eight permanent coaches in her young career.
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Her latest coach Francis Roig helped Rafael Nadal to 22 Grand Slam titles and there is hope that the appointment will help to unlock the best of Raducanu.
Although the Briton withdrew from the Billie Jean Cup, she is focused on improving her single's ranking ahead of next season.
Her goal will be to turn her talent into consistent performances and make a return to the later stages of Grand Slam tournaments.
Topics: Emma Raducanu, Tennis
James Taylor