DAVIS CUP FINALS

September 18, 2022

Captain Volandri

Simone Bolelli

Fabio Fognini

Team Italy

Press Conference

BOLELLI-FOGNINI/Goransson-Madaras

7-6, 6-2

Italy - 2

Sweden - 1

THE MODERATOR: We will start with questions in English.

First of all, Fabio and Simone, your experience with playing Davis Cup so many years, how much do you still enjoy being part of the team and all these guys and the party that you just celebrated here in Bologna?

SIMONE BOLELLI: Well, personally, I enjoy. Davis Cup is always a great feeling to play for your country.

For this occasion was special because is my hometown, Bologna, but I don't play here since I'm like maybe 15 or 16. Long time.

Come back here was amazing. We had one goal: to qualify to Malaga. We did it. Really, really happy. Was a tough week. The guys played unbelievable. All of our team was amazing. Captain, physio. Guys behind the scene was really amazing.

Really happy, and looking forward to Malaga now.

THE MODERATOR: Fabio, qualifying to Malaga, and you guys being such a strong doubles pair, is it going to change anything your preparation in these last months? Is it changing anything, the fact that you are in Malaga, qualified?

FABIO FOGNINI: Well, personally for me, no. But of course, I think the captain have a lot of solution, like another player not here, but of course if he's playing great and play better than the other one, we have opportunity to call him. Is quite good for us.

So of course at the moment, Matteo and Jannik, they are the first solution, I think, on singles. Simone say, first goal was qualify for Malaga, and we did it. I mean, quite a lot of time to be there, because of course it's the end of November, and we have a lot of tournaments in front of us.

Next step is trying to reset again and try to compete again as an individual player. Nothing else. He say everything. We are a really strong team. Even of course U.S. is going to be really, really tough, because they have strong player like Fritz, Tiafoe just did well in U.S. and they have really strong doubles.

But, you know, now is time to celebrate and thinking about this week.

THE MODERATOR: I'm not going to ask you specifically about USA, but have you seen all the other nations that qualify? What do you think looking ahead to Malaga?

CAPTAIN VOLANDRI: Yeah, who is going to go to Malaga is strong team, as Fabio said. We are all good teams, strong teams. If we want to get to the end, we have to go through these kind of matches, and we are happy to do it.

Especially with the United States, we played them last year, but we have new players, they have new players, so it's going to be a new one, for sure. Looking forward to play them.

THE MODERATOR: Congrats for the qualification.