Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from representing Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup quarter-final against Japan after accepting a wild card for the Korea Open. The WTA 500 event in Seoul runs September 15 to 21 and conflicts with the tie scheduled for September 18.

Raducanu had been set to complete the British line-up alongside Katie Boulter, Jodie Burrage and Sonay Kartal. Her replacement is expected to be announced in the coming days. The Japanese delegation named for the tie includes Naomi Osaka, Moyuka Uchijima, Ena Shibahara, Eri Hozumi and Shuko Aoyama. The winner will meet the victor of the quarter-final between the United States and Kazakhstan.

Raducanu has previous history at the Korea Open. In 2024 she reached the quarter-finals but retired in her match against Daria Kasatkina after losing the first set 6-1 because of foot discomfort. In 2022 she progressed one round further but again retired mid-match, this time against top seed Jelena Ostapenko while trailing 3-0 in the third set.

Her decision to prioritise the Seoul event follows a pattern of scheduling choices intended to manage her body. She skipped the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying round against the Netherlands and Germany in April to complete a training block and “look after her body.” Raducanu was instrumental in Great Britain’s run to the semi-finals in the Billie Jean King Cup in 2024, winning all three of her singles matches and securing the team’s only point in their loss to the Slovakian team.

Billie Jean King had previously expressed enthusiasm about Raducanu’s participation in the team event, saying: “I think it’s huge that you can speak the language of wherever you are,” King remarked.

“Raducanu is very articulate as well, she’s very good at getting up and speaking, covering a lot of subjects. You can tell she thinks about a lot of things compared to a lot of the players.

“I think we’re really lucky to have her but she likes it, she likes playing for her country.

“If I were her, I’d be pretty excited. She’s playing very well, and the main thing is she’s injury-free, her body’s healthy again.”

Raducanu has moved back up the rankings to world No 36 after a run of improved results, including a last-four showing at the WTA 500 in Washington. She lost to ninth seed Elena Rybakina 6-1, 6-2 in the third round of the US Open. After Wimbledon she added Francisco Roig to her team and confirmed the partnership will continue for the rest of the season: “Right now we’re working through to the end of the year, and I’m looking forward to just getting back to work really,” she stated. “It’s only been three weeks, but I think it’s been a pretty successful three weeks in the sense of we’ve made good improvement, and I think there are certain parts of my game which have gotten better for sure.”