BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

November 10, 2022

Heather Watson

Team Great Britain

Emirates Arena

Press Conference

H. WATSON/N. Parrizas Diaz

6-0, 6-2

Team Great Britain - 1

Team Spain - 0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Well played. Were you kind of keen to seize the chance and sort of justify Anne's faith in you? We aren't quite sure if Katie was injured at all or if it was just a pure selection decision by her.

HEATHER WATSON: Well, starting off, playing my first match at home, I had so much fun out there. I was smiling over at my team a lot. I loved it. I loved every second out there, and I think my tennis showed that. I think I played really well.

I love playing Fed Cup. Any time I get asked to play, I'll always say yes. When Anne asked me to play yesterday, of course the answer was yes. I was so ready. I feel like I have been playing great tennis recently, especially here in Glasgow two weeks ago.

Yeah, I got injured there, so I wasn't able to play after that, but I feel like I hadn't lost anything that I had gained in that week there.

Q. What was the injury that you sustained?

HEATHER WATSON: I had a Grade 2 strain in my hip flexor and also my adductor joint.

Q. Further to that, was that a factor on Tuesday at all in the selection decisions?

HEATHER WATSON: I mean, you'll have to ask Anne in any selection decisions, but thinking back, Katie beat Yulia in the Copper Box. So I guess that matchup would have been best. I don't know. You'll have to ask Anne. She makes the selection. She tells us the night before. That's that.

Q. As far as you were concerned, you were fit and ready on Tuesday? Were you disappointed?

HEATHER WATSON: I have been fit for the last like week or so now. I'm all recovered from that.

Yeah, like I said, any time I get asked, I'll eagerly play, especially here at home.

Q. Some great tennis today. You seemed to really love it. How much do you love playing at home, especially here in Glasgow? Tell us a bit about what the crowd gives you.

HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, the crowd gives me so much energy. The Barmy Army was great. Just having my teammates and the support staff all there on the side just helps so much. I'm someone who really feeds off energy, and when I'm surrounded by it, I think it brings out the best in me.

I hope to many more home ties.

Q. I think I'm right in saying you pretty much have to win this tie 3-0 to get through to the weekend, sort of backs-to-the-wall situation. Are you kind of relishing that as a team? Have you talked about that? I suppose you go into every match trying to win it. But is there a sense you have to just be perfect from now on?

HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, we know that we have to win 3-nil today, but we are just taking it match by match. We are all so supportive of each other. All we can do is give it our best out there. That's what Spain is going to do as well. They are a really tough team. We are still live, we've still got a shot, and I'll get recovered and go and support Harriet as hard as I can.

Q. Hopefully we'll get to talk to you again, but I just wonder if you could just sort of sum up your season, I guess, ups and downs.

HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, seasons are all full of ups and downs. I would say I had some big ups this season, even though my ranking might not reflect it. I actually said to my mum here two weeks ago, she was here with me, because I played actually one of the Spanish girls in the quarterfinals, Bolsova, and I said, Mum, I think that's the best tennis I have played in my whole life.

Yeah, my body is feeling good, mind is feeling good. So, yeah, the season has been full of ups and downs. I wish my ranking would be higher, but I'm going into the new year feeling really confident about my game.

Q. Can you tell us how you and the team followed last night's match? Because obviously you needed Spain to win to still be in the competition today. It's quite the situation where last night you want Spain to win and today you're trying to beat them.

HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, we were watching the matches last night. I think most of us went to bed after the singles matches. But we kind of hoped for like a 2-1 win for Spain, but yeah, as long as we've got a chance, I mean, even regardless, we are all going to go out there and give it our best anyway.

Q. You looked completely at ease going out there, like you were just taking in every moment and were able to go for your shots and execute almost perfectly. Do you think that sitting out the first match meant you were almost like a coiled spring ready to take to the court and deliver for GB?

HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, possibly. The days in these team competitions are super long, so playing one match here feels like playing a whole tournament in a regular week.

So, yeah, I don't know. That could be part of it. Actually, I wear this to measure my activity in the day, and my activity supporting that doubles was higher than my practice earlier in the day, the stress and the calories (smiling).

Yeah, it's really busy, long days. Yeah, maybe that did help.