Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from her match with Naomi Osaka as Great Britain begin their Fed Cup tie with Japan in Australia.
The British number one has not played since October and has given no reason for withdrawing from her match against Osaka in Perth as the Australian Open begins in Melbourne on January 18.
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“I have to be honest, she was very close,” England captain Tim Henman told Australia’s Nine Network.
“It wasn’t an easy decision. She’s been working out and practicing well. But we just felt like it was a little too early this morning.”
GB will face Greece after playing Japan in Group E.
Henman added: “I don’t think she’s necessarily out of this game yet. So let’s keep our fingers crossed.”
Raducanu has struggled with form and fitness since winning the U.S. Open in 2021, but last season she completed 50 matches for the first time in her career and finished 29th in the women’s rankings.
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The 23-year-old pulled out of two exhibition games in the United States last December with a minor foot problem and has since begun preparations for the 2026 season with coach Francisco Roig at Barcelona.
The Federation Cup competition consists of one men’s and one women’s singles match as well as a mixed doubles match.
Billy Harris helped Great Britain beat Shintaro Mochizuki 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, while Raducanu’s replacement Katie Swan was defeated by Osaka 7-6 (7-4) 6-1.
Neil Skupski and Olivia Nicholls represent Team GB in the Mixed Doubles against Yasutaka Uchiyama and Nao Hibino.
