BJK Cup withdrawals 'a tennis, not a player, problem'

Katie Boulter (right) will lead the British team in Billie Jean King Cup qualifying

Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong says the lack of top-20 players at the Billie Jean King Cup is "a tennis problem, not a player problem".

Only three of the world's top-20 will compete in this week's qualifying rounds, with Poland's Iga Swiatek and American trio Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys among those absent.

World number two Swiatek withdrew last week, saying she needed time to "focus on myself and my training".

Britain, meanwhile, are without Emma Raducanu, who has opted to train and "look after her body" after her Miami Open quarter-final run in her seventh event of the year.

The top teams in each round-robin group will advance to September's eight-team finals in Shenzhen, China.

"It's tough for every nation to put out their best players in each tie,” Keothavong told BBC Sport in The Hague, where Britain are in a group with Germany and the Netherlands.

"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.

"You have got to try and pick and choose your moments, but it's not a player problem - it's a tennis problem.

"One of these days maybe everyone can figure out a solution and work together."

One solution is to play the Finals earlier in the season - and as Keothavong was speaking it was confirmed they will take place from 16-21 September, rather than the traditional November date.

November, when the WTA Tour season is over for the year, has often proved unpopular with players, and it will now take place at the start of a seven-week run of tournaments in Asia.

GB’s team includes world number 40 Katie Boulter and 60th-ranked Sonay Kartal. Harriet Dart and Olivia Nicholls are also involved, with Jodie Burrage added when Raducanu withdrew last week.

"Obviously it's disappointing we don't have her on this team, but I totally understand what she needs to do,” Keothavong said of Raducanu.

"A player has got to do what a player has got to do - what is best for them.

"She has given a lot to this team and she may not be with us this time round but I hope in the future she will be."

Boulter, who suffered a stress fracture of the back on national team duty in 2019, also emphasised the importance of managing your workload.

"I made that mistake once when I went out and played and got injured, so I've always said number one thing is your body," British number one Boulter said.

"You have to look after it, or else unfortunately you're not going to be playing week in week out, and that's the most important thing for me.

"Representing your country is an honour and a privilege and I do my very best with my body to be here every time.

"I think that's all we can ask of any person."

Boulter will lead the British team on the clay - a surface on which she has relatively little experience.

Boulter had not played a tour-level match on clay before the Madrid Open last April.

Kartal is likely to make her debut by taking the second singles role. She will be buoyed by her run to the last sixteen in Indian Wells last month and playing on a surface which "enhances my game style even more".

GB reached the semi-finals last year, losing to eventual runners-up Slovakia.