British tennis icon John Lloyd has delivered a scathing critique of Emma Raducanu following her decision to withdraw from September’s Billie Jean King Cup, accusing the young star of prioritising her individual career over national duty.
The former British No.1 expressed disbelief that Raducanu chose to focus on her WTA Tour development and training with new coach Francisco Roig rather than represent Great Britain in one of tennis’s most prestigious team competitions. Lloyd argued that her absence was particularly frustrating given Britain’s genuine opportunity to make a deep run.
According to Lloyd, Raducanu’s withdrawal highlights a wider problem within modern tennis—elite players increasingly stepping away from international team events in favour of ranking points and personal scheduling.
Speaking on the Mitch Michals Podcast, Lloyd didn’t hold back.
“To be honest, my reaction was sadness— not because Italy won, but because of where the Davis Cup is now,”
he said.
He lamented the lack of top players across both the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, noting that only a single top-10 player appeared in the most recent Davis Cup while stars like Jannik Sinner opted to rest.
“That to me is beyond belief. That never would have happened in my era,”
Lloyd insisted.
Turning his focus back to Raducanu, he argued that her decision cost Britain a rare chance at silverware.
“Emma Raducanu of Great Britain had a chance, for the first time, to possibly win it,”
he said, before questioning her explanation.
“She pulls out and says she wants more time with her new coach to get ready for next season or ranking points. I’m thinking—are you kidding me?”
Lloyd’s frustration centred on what he sees as a fundamental shift in tennis values, where national representation no longer holds the prestige it once did.
“I fault them. I don’t know if it’s agents, parents, or the sport itself, but we’ve failed to make players understand that representing your country should be the highest honour in tennis—and it isn’t anymore.”
As a solution, Lloyd proposed restructuring international competitions so they take place every two or four years, giving players fewer excuses to skip them and restoring the honour he believes has been lost.
He ended with a blunt assessment of the modern generation’s mindset:
“I do fault them for not playing because, for me, they haven’t got their priorities right.”
