BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

November 9, 2022

Jil Teichmann

Team Switzerland

Emirates Arena

Press Conference

J. TEICHMANN/E. Cocciaretto

6-3, 4-6, 7-6

Team Switzerland - 1

Team Italy - 0

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Congratulations. Can you put into words how you're feeling right now after that?

JIL TEICHMANN: Awesome (smiling). No, I feel great. I'm super happy, super relieved that I got this important point for our team.

It was a tough match. I knew coming in it would be a fight. I know the Italians, so I know how they are, but I knew as well how I am so I was ready for it. As you could see, it had a bit of everything. Up-and-down from both sides. I think every game, every point was played, almost no free points.

Yeah, very happy that I found a way.

Q. You say you found a way. What made the difference in the end, do you think?

JIL TEICHMANN: Believing, insisting, and that was it. Even though I was 5-2 down, I knew. I was sitting on a changeover and I told Heinz, It's 5-2, but I don't see like why exactly I'm not -- every game I'm on it. It's just not on my side. So I'm, like, This can change any moment.

So I was just going point by point, especially I wanted like to win to 5-3. So she had to close it, I knew. It's never easy in Fed Cup -- sorry, Billie Jean King Cup. Actually at the end, it was funny, I had points for the 5-All, and I'm, Oh, it's already almost 5-All. I was so in my focus, in my tunnel that, yeah, that was just about it and that's a fight.

Q. You've got such a strong record in this competition. Can you describe the emotions of playing such a tough match like that in this competition versus on the tour, how it's different, or is it actually quite similar?

JIL TEICHMANN: It's actually I think the first time I win in this competition. It is different, because I think some energy is different. You have a full team on your backs that's cheering for you each point, and you want to win for them. You know, it's not only about you.

That's why it was really point by point, and I'm going to do this for them, I'm going to do it for me. I saw as well the trophy in the corner. We were super close last year. I took everything as a motivation.

Q. Did your opponent do anything that surprised you at all?

JIL TEICHMANN: What's surprising? I mean, that's first time I played her, so I didn't know exactly her shots. But I think she doesn't play too Italian (smiling), whatever that means.

Q. What does that mean?

JIL TEICHMANN: No, like, I mean, they say the same about me, like I play Spanish, but it's like I can play anywhere. I think the same about Italians. But I mean that by her that she takes the ball really early. She tries to take time away. It's on the line.

So probably, I mean, as you could see maybe other team members, they are leave it like one meter more in the back like I do, as well. So every player finds his own way to play.

Yeah, good timing and good serve. No double faults. She did not do one (smiling). That's very impressive, as well.

Q. You mentioned being able to see the trophy there when you're playing. You obviously are extremely motivated. It's early in the competition still, but you're extremely motivated to go one step further than last year. How do you just keep focusing on one match at a time when you're also thinking long term about trying to win this event?

JIL TEICHMANN: Well, it was last year the same. We had the motivation. We went point by point, meaning in the tie, match by match. I mean, we are used to it. We play a tournament during the year or you want to win a slam, you cannot think about only the trophy.

It's like kind of a motivation, but you know it's a very, very long way. We started this way, this path today.