Emma Raducanu will be welcomed back into Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup team “with open arms”, according to Katie Boulter.

The former US Open champion will play just her second tie for her country this week in France, two years after making her debut against the Czech Republic.

Injuries have prevented Raducanu being involved in the intervening ties, and she indicated at the Australian Open that she would prioritise her health this year when considering whether to play.

But, with the tie on indoor clay, the same surface as her next WTA tournament in Stuttgart next week, Raducanu will join Boulter, Harriet Dart, Heather Watson and debutant Francesca Jones in Le Portel.

Boulter, who is a brand ambassador for Lexus, told the PA news agency: “I’m very pleased. We’ve missed her. We love having her back.

“Obviously the number one thing is that she’s healthy. I’ve always said it for myself and it’s my biggest wish for her as well is that she can stay as healthy as possible. We’re going to be welcoming her with open arms for sure.”

At 302, Raducanu is the lowest-ranked member of Anne Keothavong’s team, with Boulter at 28 and Dart also in the top 100, but it would be a major surprise if she was left on the bench for the tie on Friday and Saturday.

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Raducanu won one of her two matches on her debut and showed promise in her first campaign on clay, traditionally the weakest surface for British players, two years ago.

Keothavong’s side are undoubtedly underdogs, particularly having lost to France at the same stage last year on hard courts in Coventry.

The home side are led by world number 23 Caroline Garcia, who recently defeated Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka on her way to the quarter-finals of the Miami Open, and Boulter said: “It’s a brutal match-up.

“We’ve already been in this place before and we had it at home. I think if anything it could help us, we are completely the underdogs. I think we’ve got a free swing.

“Garcia is clearly playing some very good tennis right now. But it’s another Billie Jean King Cup tie, anything can happen.

“We’ve got to keep it very realistic, it’s everyone’s first week on clay. It’s not my favourite surface but I’m very excited to get on it. I think we will come together as a team and keep trying to push each other and I’m sure we’ll play some really good tennis.”

Raducanu’s presence represents a boost for Britain compared to last year, as does the rapid rise of Boulter, who at 27 has surged into the top 30 for the first time.

The Leicestershire player lifted her second, and biggest, WTA Tour title at the San Diego Open last month and has won more matches against top-50 opponents in the first three months of 2024 than in the rest of her career combined.

“It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind,” said Boulter. “In some aspects I’m surprised, in other aspects I’m not surprised at all, which shows that I’ve really put a lot of work in and I feel like I’m going in the right direction.

“I am very realistic at the same time. Not everything’s going to click every week. I think that’s where, going into the next part of the season (on clay), I’ve got a free swing, because it’s obviously something I’m not used to.

“It’s something fresh and exciting but this last month has been a massive, massive leap for me.”

The winners of the tie will qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Seville in November.

Novak Djokovic returned to action at the Monte-Carlo Masters with a comfortable victory but Jack Draper was narrowly beaten while Carlos Alcaraz pulled out through injury.

The Spaniard, recently overtaken as world number two by Jannik Sinner, had been due to face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round after receiving a first-round bye but is struggling with a forearm problem.

Alcaraz wrote on social media: “I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres in my right arm, but it was not possible and I cannot play! I was really looking forward to playing… See you next year!”

The 20-year-old won his first title since last summer’s Wimbledon in Indian Wells last month but was then beaten by Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open.

It is an important part of the season for Alcaraz, who is due to defend his titles in Barcelona and Madrid over the next month. He has been replaced in the draw by Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

Djokovic played his first match since Indian Wells after choosing to skip Miami and then parting ways with long-time coach Goran Ivanisevic.

With former Serbian doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic guiding him from the stands, Djokovic, now the oldest men’s singles number one in history, eased to a 6-1 6-2 victory over Russia’s Roman Safiullin.

The 36-year-old said on Sky Sports: “I’m very pleased. Even the games that I lost, I had break points in those games. Really good first match at the start of the clay season. I hope to maintain this rhythm.”

Draper took on 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz and for the second year in a row lost a very tight contest.

The British number two forced a deciding set and then broke Hurkacz, champion on clay in Estoril last week, when he served for the match at 5-4 but the Pole played a brilliant tie-break to win 6-4 3-6 7-6 (2).

Draper’s exit ends British interest in singles, with Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans also losing in the first round.

Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Monte-Carlo Masters with a right forearm injury.

The Spaniard, recently overtaken as world number two by Jannik Sinner, had been due to face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round after receiving a first-round bye.

Alcaraz wrote on social media: “I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres in my right arm, but it was not possible and I cannot play! I was really looking forward to playing… See you next year!”

The 20-year-old won his first title since last summer’s Wimbledon in Indian Wells last month but was then beaten by Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open.

It is an important part of the season for Alcaraz, who is due to defend his titles in Barcelona and Madrid over the next month.

He has been replaced in the draw by Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

Cameron Norrie slipped to a straight-sets defeat against Karen Khachanov in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Norrie, playing on clay for the first time since February, started well and struck with the first break of the match but eventually went down 7-5 7-6 (3).

Khachanov broke straight back in the opening set and toppled the Norrie serve again at 6-5 to avoid a first-set tie-break.

Both players broke each other at the start of the second set and Norrie looked again to be in control when he went 5-3 ahead.

But once again Khachanov broke back when it mattered and took the tie-break 7-3.

Dan Evans suffered a straight-sets defeat to Sebastian Ofner as his struggles at the start of the clay-court season continued.

Evans’ second match on the surface this term was over quickly after he was blown away by the Austrian.

The British number three dropped the first four games en route to a 6-1 6-4 defeat.

Evans had lost his first clay-court match of the season in straight sets to Roberto Carballes Baena at the Grand Prix Hassan in Marrakech last week.

Dan Evans suffered a straight sets defeat to Sebastian Ofner in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Evans’ second match on clay for the season was over quickly after he was blown away by the Austrian.

The British number three dropped the first four matches in a set he went on to lose 6-1.

The 33-year-old improved in the second set but again dropped serve early on and was chasing from then on.

With just under an hour and 10 minutes on the clock, Ofner was 30-0 up serving for the match but offered Evans a glimmer of hope with a couple of errors to bring it back to 30-30.

However, the 27-year-old Austrian regained his composure to seal his place in the second round, 6-1 6-4.

Evans lost his first clay-court match of the season in straight sets to Roberto Carballes Baena at the Grand Prix Hassan in Marrakech last week.

Danielle Collins secured back-to-back tournament wins with a 6-2 6-1 victory over Daria Kasatkina in the Charleston Open final.

After winning the Miami Open last week, Collins earned her 13th successive victory in style as she dropped just three games in her latest triumph.

The American, who moved up to 15th in the world rankings, needed just 77 minutes to dismiss her opponent without facing a break point in the whole of the contest.

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Collins said: “I had a lot of matches in Miami and I had a lot of matches here.

“I had, at one point in this tournament, two matches in one day, which is not easy to pull off. I don’t know if I’ve done that before as a professional. I feel like the last time I did that was like in 12-and-unders.

“So to be able to physically battle and push myself to a new limit gives me a lot of confidence. I’ve been so happy to be, obviously, playing at the level that I’ve been playing, but to be able to back it up two weeks in a row has just been fantastic.”

Greg Rusedski announced his retirement from tennis on this day in 2007 after helping Great Britain defeat the Netherlands in the Davis Cup.

Rusedski partnered Jamie Murray to a crucial 6-1 3-6 6-3 7-6 (5) doubles win over Robin Haase and Rogier Wassen, which gave Britain an unassailable 3-0 lead in Birmingham.

The former world number four, then aged 33, revealed his retirement plans in an emotional courtside interview.

“It was a proud moment as it’s going to be my last match,” he said, fighting back tears. “I’m officially retiring on a win today.”

Rusedski had played just one previous match in 2007 – losing in the first round of a Challenger event in Sarajevo – as he struggled with a nagging hip injury and plummeting world ranking.

He had been expected to retire at some point during that year and ended speculation after helping Britain secure an elite World Group play-off, which they went on to win 4-1 against Croatia the following September.

Great Britain captain John Lloyd paid tribute to the world number 283, saying: “It’s good to go out playing a match like that but we’ll miss him. We’ve had a great team and Greg has been a big part of it.”

Born in Montreal, Rusedski turned professional in 1991 and became a British citizen in 1995. He made his Davis Cup debut later that year and played a total of 43 rubbers, finishing with a win-loss record of 30-13.

The former British number one was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1997 after losing to Pat Rafter in the US Open final.

His booming serve-and-volley game seemed ideally suited to Wimbledon, but the furthest he got was the quarter-finals, losing to Frenchman Cedric Pioline in four sets in 1997.

He won 15 ATP Tour titles, securing his last one in Newport, Rhode Island, in 2005 on the same court he had won his first 12 years earlier.

Rafael Nadal has expressed his disappointment at being forced to miss the  Monte Carlo Masters later this month.

Nadal has been off the tour since suffering a muscle injury in Brisbane in January and the 37-year-old revealed on social media that he is still not ready to return to action.

“These are very difficult moments for me, sporting wise,” Nadal, who has won the title 11 times in Monte Carlo, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Unfortunately I have to tell you that I am not going to be playing in Monte Carlo. My body simply won’t allow me.

“And even if I am working hard and making the maximum effort every day with all the will to play and compete again at tournaments that have been very important for me, the truth is that I can’t play today.

“You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play these events.

“The only thing I can do is to accept the situation and try to look at the immediate future keeping the excitement and will to play in order to give me a chance for things to get better.

“Thanks again to all, as always, for all the support and best wishes!”

Jannik Sinner won his third title of the season as he finally became the Miami Open champion.

The Italian, who claimed the Australian Open in January and followed it up with victory in Rotterdam, put in a scintillating display to beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 6-1 in Florida.

His success sees the 22-year-old become the new world number two and avenges defeats in the final here in 2021 and 2023.

It also means his semi-final loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells a fortnight ago remains the only time he has been beaten so far this year.

"It has been a very special week for me, I have faced different kinds of situations on the court and different opponents," he told Sky Sports.

"But I guess I managed the situation well.

"I am very happy to be number two in the world, it is just a number, for me most important is trying to execute my gameplan and I managed to do this."

Dimitrov, who is enjoying a resurgence and ousted Alcaraz in the semi-final here, had the first opportunity to gain the upper hand against Sinner and things might have been different had the Bulgarian not gone wide on an early break point.

That allowed Sinner to take control and he broke in the next game to open up a lead before missing more break points to go 5-2 up.

His domination continued, though, as he only let Dimitrov win one more game in the match.

The Italian took the first set with a stunning backhand down the line and then was in total control of the second set as his opponent barely got on the board.

Sinner closed it out to claim a second Masters 1000 title.

Danielle Collins produced a fairytale ending to her first WTA 1000 final in her last year on tour by beating Elena Rybakina to win the Miami Open.

The 30-year-old, who grew up in St Petersburg near Tampa, delighted the partisan home crowd as she produced a determined display to see off world number four Rybakina 7-5 6-3, before breaking down in tears.

Unseeded Collins, runner-up to Ashleigh Barty at the 2022 Australian Open, had won 12 straight sets after losing her first of the tournament, and continued to dig deep as she saw off Rybakina, who had reached a second straight Miami Open final.

The opening set stayed on serve, with Collins saving three break points in the seventh game. The American then dug deep to fend off another break opportunity for Rybakina to hold again and lead 6-5.

Collins continued her momentum to force two set points in the next game, but could not convert.

A forehand into the net from Rybakina presented Collins another opportunity – which this time she took when the world number four sent a return long of the baseline, to the delight of the home crowd.

Rybakina was under pressure on her serve again early in the second set, with Collins dispatching a break point chance with a forehand crosscourt winner to move 2-0 ahead.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion, though, regrouped to immediately break back in the next game before a hold to love levelled the set up again at 2-2.

Collins eventually took what was an error-strewn seventh game from both players to lead 4-3 – which again got the crowd fired up.

The home fans were soon back on their feet as Collins forced home another break chance when Rybakina sent a return long which left her serving for the title.

Collins, though, struggled to finish off Rybakina, who forced a break chance before the American failed to take three championship points – but she eventually found a backhand winner to deliver the biggest title of her career.

“I have worked so hard and it has taken a lot longer than a lot of the players on the tour,” Collins said in her courtside interview with Sky Sports.

“Today was just surreal, coming out here and playing in front of so many people that were behind me. Having a whole stadium on my side was something so special – it is hard not to get emotional.

“It meant so much to me to get over this hurdle. It is just a really special moment.”

Jannik Sinner produced a stunning performance to demolish defending champion Daniil Medvedev and reach the Miami Open final.

It was a rematch of the Australian Open final, which Medvedev led by two sets to love before Sinner stormed back to claim his first grand slam title.

This was nothing like as close, though, with Sinner storming to a 6-1 6-2 victory in just 69 minutes to reverse the result of last year’s final.

The Italian lost his only match of the season so far to Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals in Indian Wells two weeks ago but has been dominant once more in Florida.

Serena Williams was among the crowd, and some fans at Hard Rock Stadium jeered Medvedev late in the second set after two wild errors, with the Russian completely outplayed by his opponent.

Sinner, who can overtake Alcaraz as world number two by winning the title, said on Sky Sports: “I felt great on court today. I served very well, especially in important moments.

“I handled the situation well in the beginning of each set. He had some break chances, if he makes them, it’s already much different. I’m very happy. I think Daniil didn’t play his best today, he missed some shots which he usually doesn’t miss, but I took the chance and I’m very happy to be in the final.”

Andy Murray will miss next month’s Monte Carlo Masters and the BMW Open Munich with the ankle injury he suffered in Miami.

The 36-year-old Scot has vowed to return to action “as soon as possible”, but it is also uncertain when he will be back on court.

A statement from the two-time Wimbledon champion’s management team on Friday read: “Following consultation with his team and medical experts, Andy Murray has taken the decision to miss the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters and BMW Open Munich.

“At this stage, it is still not clear how long Andy will be out of action, and he is continuing to review options with his medical team.

“Obviously this is very disappointing news for Andy and he has reiterated his desire to get back on court as soon as possible.

“He thanks all his fans for their kind messages of support and will continue to update everybody as the situation evolves.”

The Monte Carlo Masters and BMW Open Munich take place between April 7-14 and April 15-21 respectively.

Murray cried out in pain and fell to the floor late on in his third-round defeat by Tomas Machac at the Miami Open last Sunday.

Murray was able to complete the match after on-court treatment but revealed in an Instagram post that he had seriously damaged two ligaments in his left ankle.

It is less than 10 weeks until the start of the British grass-court season and just over three months until Wimbledon, where Murray had planned to play for the final time before retirement.

He has also targeted a final Olympic appearance in Paris but all those could depend on whether he needs an operation or if non-surgical measures will suffice.

It is cruel timing for the three-time grand-slam champion, who had won back-to-back matches for the first time this year in Miami.

Gregor Dimitrov beat top seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to book a place in the Miami Open semi-final.

The Bulgarian, seeded 11th, won 6-2 6-4 to book a last-four meeting with Germany’s world number five Alexander Zverev.

Dimitrov made a fast start as he opened a 3-0 lead and Alcaraz, chasing back-to-back titles after winning in Indian Wells, was never able to get back on terms.

He fought back from 4-1 down in the second set, but Dimitrov broke again to seal his second successive win over the Spaniard.

“I think overall, to win against him, you have to play at your best; that’s just how it is,” said Dimitrov. “I came into the match very focused and extremely clear what I had to do.

“Sometimes simplicity is genius. It’s very, very hard to do it, especially when you play against an opponent like that, but I was really able to dictate the game, read the game a little bit better than last time.

“Overall, I think a very great match on my end and I’m just happy I finished in straight sets.”

Zverev ended unseeded Fabian Marozsan’s run with a 6-3 7-5 success.

The Hungarian had beaten top 10 pair Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur to reach the last eight, but could only muster two break points as Zverev won 80 per cent of points on his first serve.

“I’m happy to be back in these late stages of these tournaments, playing the best players in the world, I think there are only those left,” said Zverev, who reached the final in Miami in 2018.

Defending champion Daniil Medvedev will meet Jannik Sinner in the other semi-final in a rematch of the Australian Open final.

Defending champion Daniil Medvedev saw off a late challenge from Nicolas Jarry to book a Miami Open semi-final rematch with Jannik Sinner.

Medvedev beat Sinner in last year’s Miami final, but the Italian came from two sets down to claim the Australia Open title in January.

World number four Medvedev cruised through the first set against Jarry 6-2 but had to battle his way through a tie-break win in the second set as the Chilean fought his way back into the match.

“The first set I thought I was playing a good level, not doing anything extra, just enough to win,” Medvedev said.

“Then he started to play much better and it was tough rallies, tough points. He served better and it was just a matter of a few points in the tie-break.”

Sinner reached his fourth semi-final of the year as he eased past Tomas Machac 6-4 6-2 in 91 minutes.

“Physically I feel good. I’m just happy to compete,” Sinner said.

“We practise very hard to be in these positions and I’m really happy I can play once again in the semis here at such a special tournament.

“It’s special for me, I made my first Masters 1000 final here, so I’m really happy to be back in the semis.”

Victoria Azarenka kept her hopes of a fourth Miami Open title alive as she reached the semi-finals with a hard-earned victory over Yulia Putintseva.

The number 27 seed, a winner here in 2009, 2011 and 2016, laboured for just under three hours as she battled past her Kazakhstani opponent 7-6 (4) 1-6 6-3.

The 34-year-old saved three set points at 5-4 down in the opening set, then failed to convert two of her own before she held her nerve in the tie-break with some decisive forehands.

Putintseva hit back hard in the second, giving up a solitary game as she found her rhythm, but the momentum shifted when Azarenka salvaged a pair of break points at the start of the decider.

After regaining control she did not take advantage of her first match point at 5-2 up, but made no mistake when the chance opened up again in her next service game.

Azarenka will face another Kazakhstani opponent in the last four after Elena Rybakina outlasted eighth seed Maria Sakkari in another marathon clash 7-5 6-7 (4) 6-4.

The fourth seed, runner-up in 2023, won the first set with a late break before Sakkari – who reached the final in Indian Wells last week – survived two match points to edge a tight second set on the tie break.

But Rybakina, who had already gone the distance twice in Miami, broke in the seventh game of the decider and served out to win – more than an hour after her first match points.

“I have no words because I’m so tired. But I’m really happy with the win. It was such a tough battle,” said Rybakina after clinching the win in two hours and 48 minutes.