Emma Raducanu rang in her 23rd birthday on Thursday, but instead of celebrating out and about in Malaga, she spent the entire day stuck inside her hotel as violent storms swept across southern Spain.
Torrential rain and heavy flooding on the Costa del Sol forced officials to delay the start of the Billie Jean King Cup on Thursday. Schools and businesses shut their doors, public transport came to a standstill, and training at the Palacio de Deportes was cancelled due to unsafe conditions.
With Great Britain set to face Germany in their opening tie on Friday, the squad found themselves unable to leave the hotel. Team leader Heather Watson joked: “We were partying non-stop! No, I’m kidding!”
Raducanu, however, took the unexpected lockdown in stride. “I’m really grateful to my team—they went above and beyond to make the day special,” she said with a laugh. “They put up birthday banners, brought cake, balloons… everything. Even though we couldn’t go out because of the weather, it was still really lovely. It ended up being a very memorable birthday.”
The 2021 US Open champion added that she felt “a lot of love” not only from her team but also from friends back home who sent heartfelt messages throughout the day.
Great Britain managed to get in three practice sessions earlier in the week, but Thursday was all about waiting out the storm. Watson said the team made the best of the situation: “We did some yoga and core training. Sometimes a forced rest day is useful—plus we had some team bonding and a bit of birthday chocolate cake.”
Still, she admitted the real concern was for the local community. “It’s been such a tough time for people here. It was scary to see what the region has gone through, so we’re just glad things didn’t get worse.”
Raducanu is expected to feature for Great Britain when they take on Germany in the final match of t
he first round.
