DAVIS CUP FINALS

September 13, 2022

Vasek Pospisil

Team Canada

Press Conference

V. POSPISIL/S. Chan Hong

4-6, 6-1, 7-6

Canada - 1

Republic of Korea - 0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How much of a toll physically has this taken on you? Two hours, 36 minutes. It looked like you were sort of taking onboard lots of energy to be able to keep going. How are you feeling now?

VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, I mean, it was a physical match. I mean, it's very, very hot in the stadium, humid. Very slow courts. A little bit of also added stress just given the importance of the match.

So definitely took quite a bit of energy. But, I mean, in terms of the next doubles match coming up, I'll be fine because I have a pretty good break now. Then for the remainder of the weekend is fine because we have two days off. I'm fine, yeah.

Q. The camera sort of was showing there was cupping treatment on your back. Is everything okay with your back?

VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, yeah, it's fine. It's just I'm having some issues with my rib, just like a pinched nerve the last couple days. So been working on that a little bit.

But, yeah, it was quite fine today, so...

Q. Did he surprise you, the way he came out today? He said in press he'd been looking ahead to this for six months, had been a real focus for him. Did his game surprise you at all today?

VASEK POSPISIL: I mean, yeah. I don't know. I wouldn't say 'surprised'. I think he played extremely well. I know that players can play well during Davis Cup competitions when they get very motivated.

I think what hurt me today was the start of the match. I didn't have a good start. Just a couple things really threw me off in the first game, my service game. I made a couple errors.

I was kind of fighting against momentum. He kind of gained confidence as the match went on. I thought he played really well.

Also I feel like the conditions suited him pretty well. The courts are extremely slow. I felt like I was really set on the ball and really dictating pretty much the whole match, but he was getting to a lot of balls, extending the rallies, played pretty solid.

It was, yeah, one of those matches where I'm just happy I did really well to stay composed. I fought hard. I didn't let it get to me, the fact that I really had to work hard and play hard to beat a player who is ranked lower but obviously is playing good tennis.

Q. At 1-4 in the third, what were you thinking? How did you have to adjust your game because the court was so slow?

VASEK POSPISIL: I didn't catch the second part of the question.

Q. How did you have to adjust your game because the court was so slow?

VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, I mean, at 1-4, it was actually pretty interesting 'cause 1-4 down, I was serving. At the start of that game I actually was really enjoying that moment for some reason. Like I just felt like, Okay, I'm going to try to fight back, I'm going to win this match. I was just trying to be very positive. A few points later I was down break point.

I think that kind of mentality that I had at that stage helped me get through that game. I know it sounds, like I said on the court interview, very cliché, but I was trying to play point by point.

I broke back the next game. I actually think one of the biggest turning points was the volley I hit at Love-30, 3-4, serving on serve, because I worked really hard to get back on serve, and then it was Love-30. I don't know if I had gone down Love-40 there or if I got broken how that would have looked.

So, yeah, I just tried to play point by point, stay composed. I thought I did that really well, competed really well.

Q. And adjusting to the slowness of the court?

VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, I mean, it's not easy. You have to stay aggressive, but you also can't rush. It's not an easy adjustment to make.

At one point you have to really play with your body. You can't really just use your arm because the ball doesn't really go anywhere, doesn't go through the court.

Small adjustments. But at the end of the day, the court dictates the tennis a little bit. The points were just longer. You have to hit more shots.

Yeah, I tried to adjust. Thought I did well. But it's tough. It's tough. For a guy like me that likes to play shorter points, it's tough conditions.

Q. Two unbelievable shots on the last two points. Well done.

VASEK POSPISIL: Thanks.