| Venue: Emirates Area, Glasgow Dates: 8-13 November |
| Protection: Stay TV protection of Nice Britain’s matches and the semi-finals and closing on BBC Pink Button, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport web site and app, with chosen stay textual content commentaries and match stories on the web site and app |
Nice Britain are drawing on previous success – in addition to some good espresso and humour – to encourage them as they search to outperform their underdog tag at this week’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow.
With out the injured Emma Raducanu, Anne Keothavong’s aspect – who solely certified as hosts – have been weakened for the 12-team World Cup of ladies’s tennis, which begins on Tuesday.
However they don’t seem to be the one ones with out their prime participant – Polish world primary Iga Swiatek and American world quantity three Jessica Pegula are absent, whereas different main gamers are lacking as a result of their international locations didn’t qualify or are banned, leaving simply 5 of the world’s prime 20 gamers on the event.
There are 4 teams of three groups, with solely the group winners going by way of to Saturday’s semi-finals.
Nice Britain open their Group C marketing campaign on Tuesday in opposition to Kazakhstan (not earlier than 16:00 GMT) earlier than taking up Spain on Thursday.
And recollections of jubilant scenes from three years in the past, when Britain beat Kazakhstan in London, are giving the staff perception this time – particularly for Katie Boulter, who got here from a set and a break right down to seal that victory regardless of needing to have a scorching water bottle on her injured again on the changeovers.
“It already is giving me some fairly good vibes and I hope we will convey these in and use that have,” she informed a information convention on Monday. “I am fairly excited to get going and hopefully we will do the identical factor as we did again then.
“It was one thing that was fairly particular for me… and I hope we will replicate one thing like that.”
Earlier than Nice Britain intention for an upset, this is what it’s good to know concerning the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Nice Britain with out Raducanu in tough group
Lower than a fortnight earlier than the beginning of the occasion, 2021 US Open champion Raducanu pulled out with a wrist harm, leaving the occasion with out the most important draw for home followers – and the hosts with out their primary participant.
“Clearly it is disappointing for Emma, the followers and the occasion,” LTA event director Rebecca James informed BBC Sport. “However by way of GB, the staff have some gamers who will little question rise to the event and have had nice help from the British public within the house ties we have had beforehand.”
Raducanu’s absence implies that Nice Britain’s highest ranked participant might be world quantity 95 Harriet Dart. She is joined by A hundred and thirtieth-ranked Katie Boulter and the skilled Heather Watson, who’s ranked 134th however who reached the fourth spherical of Wimbledon this summer time – her first look within the final 16 of a Grand Slam singles occasion.
Established doubles pair Alicia Barnett and Olivia Nicholls make up the remainder of the staff.
Each of Nice Britain’s group opponents are tough prospects, with Kazakhstan led by Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and Spain boasting world quantity 12 Paula Badosa of their staff.
“We recognise the very fact we are the underdogs in our group, there isn’t any doubt about that,” captain Keothavong stated. “However equally, the gamers on this staff are able to scoring large wins. So we do really feel like we have an excellent shot at it.
“They [the GB players] will really feel the love, the very fact we’re taking part in in entrance of a house crowd ought to assist carry them when they’re on the market within the warmth of the battle.”
The British gamers haven’t had time for his or her customary pre-tie karaoke periods however say they’ve been staff bonding over the “nice espresso” of Glasgow and entertaining one another with impressions of various accents – very a lot in proof at Monday’s information convention the place all of them dissolved into giggles as Watson placed on her greatest Australian one.
Who else is taking part in?
Defending champions Russia are banned from participating as a part of sanctions regarding the nation’s invasion of Ukraine.
Which means Switzerland, final yr’s runners-up, are the highest seeds for the occasion. Their staff function Olympic champion Belinda Bencic as they search their first title.
Nevertheless, the US boast by far the strongest staff on paper, with three top-15 singles gamers – together with the best ranked participant on the occasion, world quantity 4 Coco Gauff, in addition to Madison Keys and Danielle Collins.
However they’re in a tough group with the Czech Republic, who’ve gained six of the previous 10 editions of the ladies’s staff occasion and have 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova and 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova of their staff.
Poland’s world primary Swiatek is lacking the Finals, having criticised the scheduling as “not protected” because the WTA Finals in Texas – the place she was competing – completed the day earlier than play begins in Glasgow.
However Gauff, who was additionally at that tour season-ending occasion, did make the lengthy journey, a lot to the aid of US captain Kathy Rinaldi, who was compelled right into a late change when Pegula – who was additionally in Texas – withdrew on Monday.
“I am very grateful that Coco’s coming, it is a fantastic effort on her half,” Rinaldi stated. “It has been an extended yr for all of those gamers.”
How do the Finals work?
Groups are divided into 4 teams of three and can play in a round-robin format, with solely group winners advancing to the semi-finals.
Matches are best-of-three units and groups play three rubbers in a tie – two singles and one doubles. The doubles matches might be performed with no-ad scoring – the place the following level wins when a sport will get to deuce – and their third set as a match tie-break (the place the primary to 10 factors wins).
If the tie has been settled after the singles, the doubles will nonetheless be performed to get the total rating that could be wanted to find out the ultimate group standings.
Schedule (all occasions GMT)
Tuesday, 8 November: Australia v Slovakia (10:00); Kazakhstan v Nice Britain (16:00)
Wednesday, 9 November: Switzerland v Italy (10:00), Belgium v Slovakia (10:00); United States v Poland (16:00), Spain v Kazakhstan (16:00)
Thursday, 10 November: Australia v Belgium (10:00), Italy v Canada (10:00); Spain v Nice Britain (16:00), Czech Republic v Poland (16:00)
Friday, 11 November: Switzerland v Canada (11:02); Czech Republic v United States (16:30)
Saturday, 12 November: Semi-finals (10:00 and 16:00)
Sunday, 13 November: Closing (14:00)
