Top stars Jannik Sinner and Emma Raducanu are facing heavy criticism for skipping the 2025 Davis Cup Finals and Billie Jean King Cup Finals, despite their respective Italian and British teams being in contention.
Former Australian Open runner-up John Lloyd slammed the decisions, calling the Davis Cup “a bit of a joke” due to the absence of top players.
Sinner withdrew from the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna—where Italy retained the title—to gain an “extra week” to prepare for the 2026 Australian Open.
Lloyd called Sinner and Musetti’s preference for rest over playing for their country on home soil “beyond belief.” Italian legend Nicola Pietrangeli previously called Sinner’s withdrawal an “insult.”
Raducanu skipped the Billie Jean King Cup Finals (which Italy won) for Team Great Britain, stating she needed to spend time working with her new coach, Francisco Roig. Lloyd questioned her priorities, asking, “When is it not a privilege to play for your country?”
Lloyd emphasized that the current state of team tennis, which saw only one Top 10 player participate in the Davis Cup, undermines its claim as the greatest team competition.
