Watson still plans to be on plane to Spain
HEATHER WATSON faces a potential race against time to be fit for next month’s Billie Jean King Cup after aggravating a calf muscle while playing in the final of the Lexus W100 Shrewsbury event last Sunday.
The Sarnian was selected last month as part of the Great Britain squad to play in the finals which take place in Malaga, Spain, starting on 13 November.
That gives her just three weeks to recover from the injury which first revealed itself, at least publicly, in the second set of Sunday’s final in Shrewsbury against Sonay Kartal, with Watson subsequently forfeiting the match.
‘I’d actually been carrying it all week but it was only in the second game [of the second set] that I felt it go,’ said Watson of the injury to her right calf muscle.
‘As each point went on after that then I realised I’d really done something which was stopping me move.
'I tried carrying on, but when it gets like that there’s the risk that you’re only going to make things worse.
‘My plan had been to fly to Spain this week for my next tournament but that’s probably not going to be happening. I’ll get the injury assessed and do what I need to do and go from there.
‘You can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had to retire in my career, which made it all the more disappointing.
‘You’ve just got to make sure you’re fit and ready for the next match, wherever that is.’
The Billie Jean King Cup finals involve 12 different nations and follow a knockout format which would require Great Britain to win four straight ties in order to clinch the title for the first time.
Watson has been selected to play alongside Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart and Olivia Nicholls, with many observers believing the Sarnian’s place in the team owed as much to her doubles experience as that in singles.
However, having been on the verge of slipping outside the world top 200 in singles after losing in the first round at Wimbledon in July, Watson has since performed an impressive u-turn to climb back up the rankings, with her run to the final at Shrewsbury seeing her jump a further 23 places from 157th to 134th.
If fit, she does not plan to be travelling to Malaga next month just to make up the numbers.
‘It didn’t end the way I wanted it to end, but I can take loads of positives from last week,’ added Watson.
‘To reach the final is something I’m really proud of. It hasn’t been the best of years, so to end it in the right way is really important to me.’
