Agnieszka Radwanska has confirmed that she intends to help keep Poland in the Fed Cup World Group II in April when the Poles look to remain in the World Group II after being ousted by the United States in the Fed Cup first round at the beginning of February. Poland will be playing Chinese Taipei in the World Group II playoffs.
Backbone of the Team
The Polish Fed Cup team had very little chance in their first round tie against the United States without Radwanska in the lineup. The Polish number one opted not to play the tie, and as a result, Poland was swept by the United States.
Poland, who has steadily slipped down the Fed Cup ladder over the last two years and has not won a tie since 2014, will have home court advantage for the tie in April against Chinese Taipei. Radwanska is Poland’s winningest singles player of all time and is currently ranked number three in the world.
Without Radwanska in the lineup, Poland’s next highest player is 99th-ranked Magda Linette. Having their number one in the lineup would gives the Poles a major boost and would make them the heavy favourites on home soil, as Chinese Taipei’s highest-ranked player, Su-Wei Hsieh, is ranked 65th in the world.
Getting Season Back on Track
After a red-hot finish to 2015, which included a run of three titles including the WTA Finals, Radwanska had a dream start to 2016, winning a title in Shenzen before racing through to the semifinals of the Australian Open, where she was sent packing by Serena Williams.
Radwanska hasn't played a competitive match since the blowout loss to Williams, which included skipping Poland’s Fed Cup World Group II tie and last week’s tournament in Dubai. Radwanska will return to action this week at the Qatar Total Open when she takes on Kateryna Bondarenko in the second round.