DAVIS CUP FINALS

November 29, 2021

Sergi Bruguera

Feliciano Lopez

Marcel Granollers

Team Spain

Press Conference

KARATSEV-RUBLEV/Granollers-Lopez

4-6, 6-2, 6-4

Russian Tennis Federation - 2

Spain - 1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. A difficult day today, but are you proud of the way your team has obviously dealt with injury and illness of key players and actually how close you have come to reaching the knockout stages?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Yeah, the truth is I couldn't be more proud of my team. We have been through a lot of issues, like everybody knows. I think we compete like animals both days. We won 3-0, 2-1, and we lost 2-1, 6-4 in the third in the doubles. Because of that, and we are out, we still like don't understand.

But my team compete incredible both days. Today was excellent. I mean, I couldn't put one bad in anything, 10 points the attitude, the compromise, how they play, the level of game of all my players. I couldn't be prouder.

Q. Feliciano, how do you look back on a day like today where you produced obviously an unbelievable level in the singles. Andrey came in here after the match and just said he hasn't seen you play like that for so long. He couldn't compete with the level that you're producing. But is it obviously a disappointment at the end of the day when you lost the doubles?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: Of course it is. It's a huge disappointment, no, not to go through. I think we did everything that is in our hands to qualify for the quarters.

But, you know, unfortunately playing in this format, sometimes you do what you have to do, and you don't get the price. This is what happened, winning 3-Love and losing 2-1 the way we lost today is really rare not to qualify.

This is why we are so disappointed now, especially myself giving one point to my team and then going one set up in the doubles. We were very close, but it was not enough. I don't want this to sound as an excuse, of course, because there's no excuses when you lose in any sport, but it's really disappointing, you know, to be out of the Davis Cup the way we are.

But it is what it is. There is nothing we can do now. I'm very proud of myself, and also I'm so proud of what everybody in the team. I think we -- Sergi just mentioned we went through a lot of things, and during this week, and we show everyone that we are able to compete even though we have a lot of, you know, issues. And this is something very important, you know. When you play professional tennis and you are able to compete in such a difficult conditions and circumstances, this will, you know, live with us forever, and this is what we have to take from this tie.