ATP CUP

February 5, 2021

Pepe Vendrell

Roberto Bautista Agut

Team Spain

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. There was an injury unfortunately in the doubles with Pablo. He cannot be here with us because he's undergoing treatment right now. Can you please explain what happened.

PEPE VENDRELL: Well, after the singles, he feels a little bit pain. We prefer to stop in doubles because we are in the semifinals, and the situation this year is very stress for everyone, not a lot of time to recover between the days.

All the team discuss about this situation, and we decide to stop after first game.

Q. Can you explain what the problem was and when it started.

PEPE VENDRELL: He's little bit pain when he serve. Obviously play a new game in doubles make a risk for us. I repeat, to respect the competition for tomorrow. We are in semifinal. We want to push tomorrow a lot.

Q. When you say he had pain when he was serving? Back, arm, leg?

PEPE VENDRELL: On the back.

Q. What is Rafa's situation? How is he feeling with his back issues?

PEPE VENDRELL: He's working very hard to recover his best feelings. Obviously he couldn't play any matches during the week. It's a situation that we have to study.

But day by day he's improving. We will see tomorrow if he can play.

Q. Do you think he has a better chance of playing tomorrow than he was today?

PEPE VENDRELL: For Rafa?

Q. For Rafa.

PEPE VENDRELL: We don't know. We are going to talk this night. He practice and his feeling was better. Everything is close on the time. Not easy to make a decision just thinking himself. We are thinking in a team. We try to choose the better option for the team.

Q. Given the start of the Australian Open is only two days away, you might be playing consecutive matches tomorrow and Sunday, is that a concern for you and your actual Australian Open preparation? Would you prefer not to be playing right now, be resting?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: It's what we have, no? I'm thinking, of course, on the ATP Cup right now. I think it's a good preparation for me having as much match as possible, having the real of the competition.

I'm feeling the nerves and the stress of playing tournaments, and I will have time to think on the Australian Open, no? I think tomorrow we have a good chance to be in the final. We have against Italy, which is a pretty good team. But we are strong. We will have our chances.

Q. Roberto, obviously last year you came very close in the ATP Cup. What would it mean for you to win? How important is it to you to be representing Spain?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: For us is very special to play as a team. We feel the country. We feel the colors. We are very happy to play as a team. I think every team competition is special. We enjoy a lot last year, and we played really good competition. This year, again, we are in the semifinal. We have against Italy a good tie. Hopefully we can play with a good team tomorrow and get the chances to be in the final.

Q. You came up a bit short today, but you battled back, a good match. You had fans in the crowd. What is it like being in the atmosphere with the fans?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: It was better atmosphere the other day in the Rod Laver Arena against Australia than today. But it's nice to be again feeling the crowd, the atmosphere, the people involved in the match.

Well, hopefully things get better soon and everything comes to a normal situation and we can feel now or soon the tennis atmosphere in the rest of the tournaments.