The most prestigious honour in women's international tennis will soon be on the line again, as the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup finals prepare to get underway in Malaga.
Canada are the defending champions of the BJK Cup, having overcome Italy 2-0 in the final of the 2023 edition, where Great Britain were not present on account of failing to qualify.
However, Anne Keothavong's team are in contention to lift the title this time around as they bid to become the first British troupe to win the BJK Cup, having overcome Sweden in the playoff round before a 3-1 win over France in April sealed their spot in the final tournament.
Here, Sports Mole provides a comprehensive guide to the 2024 BJK Cup finals as Great Britain go for glory.
When is the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup finals?
The 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals take place from November 13 to 20 in Malaga, concluding with the best-of-three final on the latter date.
2024 Billie Jean King Cup finals schedule
November 13: Spain vs. Poland (first round | 4pm)
November 14: Japan vs. Romania (first round | 9am), Slovakia vs. USA (first round | not before 4pm)
November 15: Germany vs. Great Britain (first round | 4pm)
November 16: Italy vs. Japan/Romania (quarter-final | 9am), Czech Republic vs. Spain/Poland (quarter-final | not before 4pm)
November 17: Australia vs. Slovakia/USA (quarter-final | 9am), Canada vs. Germany/Great Britain (quarter-final | not before 4pm)
November 18: Semi-final 1 (4pm)
November 19: Semi-final 2 (11am)
November 20: Final (4pm)
All times UK
How can I watch the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals?
All BJK Cup finals matches will be shown on the Tennis Channel subscription service, while Great Britain's contests will be streamed on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.
Who is in Great Britain's 2024 Billie Jean King Cup finals team?
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GB team captain Keothavong confirmed a five-strong team for the BJK Cup finals in September, and the quintet is headlined by Emma Raducanu, the former 2021 US Open champion who enjoyed a strong comeback year after a disrupted 2023.
However, the world number 58 is lacking match practice due to a recent foot injury and has not played since sustaining the issue at the Korea Open in September, but she is nevertheless expected to be first up for the Brits against Germany's Eva Lys.
The weight of expectation no doubt falls on the shoulders of Katie Boulter, the current British number one who arrives in Malaga in a rich vein of form, having reached the final of the Hong Kong Open after making the semi-finals of the Japan Open.
Harriet Dart, Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls - the latter two of whom are due to partner up in the doubles against Germany - complete the British quintet for this year's finals.
Who are the highest-ranked players at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup finals?
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Iga Swiatek may no longer be on top of the globe - that honour belongs to Aryna Sabalenka - but the Polish superstar comes into the BJK Cup finals as the highest-ranked player, sitting second in the WTA standings.
The 23-year-old has some wrongs to right after suffering a round-robin exit at the recent WTA Finals, as does world number four Jasmine Paolini, the Italian breakout star who also fell at the first hurdle in the year-end championships.
Danielle Collins (world number 11) headlines the USA team, a few weeks on from reversing her decision to retire at the end of the season, while Spain's world number 12 Paula Badosa and the Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova - the current world number one in doubles - are worth keeping an eye out for too.
Ben Knapton
