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BNP PARIBAS FED CUP: USA VS GERMANYFebruary 12, 2017Kathy RinaldiShelby RogersCoco VandewegheAlison RiskeBethanie Mattek-SandsMaui, Hawaii, USA TEAM USA THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Coco, let's start with you if you don't mind. Tell us about that huge comeback today. (Applause). BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS: Coco almost died. Came back to life. COCO VANDEWEGHE: Yeah, like I said out there on the court, it's really a team effort. It's a home tie for a reason. I think that was a big motivating factor for me to come out there and represent my country. I don't really need much of a reason more to give everything I have out there on the court. That was kind of it. Q. I saw on TV you give big credit to the Maui crowd. Talk about just how much they pumped you up today. COCO VANDEWEGHE: Yes, definitely. It's no secret I was feeling like crap out there. I definitely needed a big pick-me-up. I definitely feed off the crowd and my teammates. This is one of the few times we do have teammates. I think that is definitely what pushed me through the hump for sure. Q. Kathy, talk about your debut, your successful debut. (Applause.) CAPTAIN RINALDI: Thank you. I'm extremely proud of every player here. It's just been an incredible week. Being back here in Hawaii has been amazing. We've had tough conditions, but the players never complained once. We had a great week of practice. Everybody got what they needed. We had a great balance of tennis and fun. You know, when I called -- I knew these girls were going to leave it out on the court, because when I called them they were quick to say they wanted to play. It's been an amazing week, and I thank them for their support. I couldn't be more proud. Q. Looking ahead, Czech Republic at home. I think it's like a 9-2 record you have from way back when you played them before. Talk about them. CAPTAIN RINALDI: What more can you say? Obviously Czech Republic is a very strong, tough team. They have many, many great players. One of our players knows one well. (Laughter.) So, you know, yes. We're going to enjoy this one. We're going to look forward to playing them at home and have the home court advantage. Again, we'll put together a strong team. I believe in all our American players. They're doing great. They started off 2017 extremely strong. Yeah, we're going to go for it. Q. Do you have at least a concept in your mind what kind of surface you would like to play them on? COCO VANDEWEGHE: Clay. Clay. CAPTAIN RINALDI: (Laughter.) Yeah, I mean, I just got off the court with this match. You know, I haven't really thought about that. I'll sit down and we'll definitely be deciding that quickly. Q. Coco, I don't think you said a word the whole match. When did you start feeling bad? COCO VANDEWEGHE: You know what? It was funny enough. I actually can't remember the scoreline when it came on. It progressed. Some cramps to just cold feet illness. From there, it was just managing what was in front of me. I honestly couldn't tell you what the scoreline was at any point in time that I was actually playing because I was just thinking about keeping standing up. Q. What were you thinking? CAPTAIN RINALDI: Well, I obviously was concerned about her health. You know, at first I thought it was just cramping, but obviously it was a lot more than that. I saw her at the Australian Open. She also had an issue there. So at that point, you know, it's not about the match. It's about her health. Health comes first. It was just an amazing performance. A lot of heart. Alison Riske got us off to a great start. These girls have been amazing. These two played great doubles today. Didn't get to finish, but... Everybody had a role this week. Everybody did a super job. Obviously to see the emotion from Coco after just leaving it literally all on the court, couldn't be more proud. Q. Alison, while you're watching, what's going on what's going through your head and how close were you to warming up? ALISON RISKE: Well, I guess when I was warming up -- BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS: From 4-0 up or 5-0 up? What were you warming up? ALISON RISKE: We obviously were down and I was preparing to go out there. Obviously I had faith in Coco that she would bring it back. Just in case, I had to be ready to go. So I was hanging out inside eating, warming up, watching the match. BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS: The ultimate professional. (Laughter.) Pam Anderson doesn't have anything on Ali Riske. Q. Since you're the oldest one... (All talking at once.) (Laughter.) BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS: Is it mentally older? Q. Have you ever seen a stranger Fed Cup than the last few days? Tell us about it. BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS: Team USA has had a blast in Hawaii. You know, it was a long trip for the Germans, and I actually, at the end of the match when we were shaking hands, they told us their flight got canceled going back home. It's tough. I mean, like I think they went whale watching just to see a whale. CAPTAIN RINALDI: It's definitely one of the more interesting Fed Cups match-wise. BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS: But, you know, it's unlucky with the rain and Julia going down. You don't want to win a match like that. We're all here training hard, ready to play and we want or competition to feel good. We feel like we can win with everyone at their A games. If it doesn't happen, that's okay. But think that's kind of the spirit of competition and why we're all here. It was just kind of a tough break that some of their players got a little bit hurt. I think our players played well in the matches that everyone was playing good. Brought it home. Q. Shelby, it's your debut. What will you remember most? SHELBY ROGERS: Oh, my goodness. I mean, I'm definitely going to remember these girls, how we came to go together this week, worked together as a team. Everything we did on and off the court was together. It was the most amazing week. Thank you girls for bringing me in and showing me how to be part of Team USA. I can't wait to hopefully come back and have another shot at it. Glad I got a little court time at the end. It was incredible to be on court with this girl. Q. (No microphone.) SHELBY ROGERS: Yeah, I had a few games with Bethanie and it was an incredible experience. Yeah, above and beyond anything I could have expected, so thank you. Q. Kathy and Coco, maybe Alison, would you guys like to play another tie here on Maui? ALL: Who wouldn't? CAPTAIN RINALDI: Yeah, I mean, this is paradise here. Obviously it was a great week. Obviously very successful. Kona as well. There is something here that we love. Yeah, who wouldn't want to come back here? COCO VANDEWEGHE: Ditto. ALISON RISKE: Ditto. ALL: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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