BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

November 10, 2022

Harriet Dart

Team Great Britain

Emirates Arena

Press Conference

H. DART/P. Badosa

6-3, 6-4

Team Great Britain - 2

Team Spain - 0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you describe your emotions after that?

HARRIET DART: There is a lot of them. I'm just so proud to represent my country, to be able to also perform on home soil in front of a home crowd. Doesn't get more special than that.

Q. You obviously got quite choked up on court. Can you just talk us through the last couple of maybe months or weeks and kind of what was going through your head at that moment? Feels like when we spoke to you in New York that was quite a difficult moment as well, quite a roller coaster the last month or two?

HARRIET DART: Look, every year on tour you have your ups and downs. Most of the time you're taking -- you have to be able to bounce back quickly. You know, I have been putting the work in, and it's just about being able to put it all out there on the court and to be able to execute that.

I felt like today, honestly Heather's match inspired me so much. Yeah, I'm just so happy to get the job done for the team.

Q. I wondered, going into the match and knowing that you needed to win 3-nil, what was kind of the psychology of that? In some ways do you feel like you just have to go out and swing freely and see where that takes you?

HARRIET DART: Look, on paper she's, you know, a lot higher ranked than me. She's achieved so much. Such a great player. Always knew it was going to be an incredibly tough match.

My goal was to make it as tough as possible out there for her, and I felt like I executed my game plan really well. I knew that all the pressure was on them, because like I said, on paper, she's meant to beat me easily. But these events, you know, anything can happen.

Yeah, just really proud to represent my country.

Q. Where would that rank in your career as a singles win?

HARRIET DART: Probably one of the best (smiling). Especially, you know, in New York, yes, I beat a top-10 player. You know, but playing for your country on home soil in front of a home crowd is by far the most special thing to have done.

Q. Today you were on the front foot for kind of the entirety of the match inside the baseline. Wondering what's it been like building a game style like that to be able to control a match against a top player?

HARRIET DART: Yeah, I mean, she's an incredibly aggressive player. If you're not on the front foot, I'm the one running. It's important to take time away. You know, I felt like I really stepped up today. That's what I needed to do. Otherwise I wasn't going to be winning the match.

It was important to do it on my terms. If I miss, I miss, but make sure to hold my ground. Be aggressive. Hold the baseline. Know that, you know, physically I'm in really good shape. Just keep going and accept that she's going to hit some big shots, which she did. But to keep at it, keep at it, keep working. I had my chance and I took it.

Q. Do you think that having kind of self-belief that you can beat players like that is actually what you need in order to get more results like that?

HARRIET DART: Yeah, I mean, this year has been a great year for me in terms of my tennis, and I feel like I have been breaking some barriers through, and I think with that comes confidence and belief. At the end of the day, you've got to really believe in the work that you do in practice.

Sometimes that doesn't always come straightaway, but to keep believing in that and keep going on the right path and keep doing the right things.

Today I could have come out and she could have played a lot better than me, but today, I felt like I kept with her. Once I got my opportunity, I was on the front foot and really trying to dominate play.

Q. Amazing win today. It seems like there is something in the water with GB today. Did Anne give you a pep talk or what happened before the match that seemed to get you all up for the day?

HARRIET DART: Yeah, for sure. We knew coming into today what to play for, and we are all super motivated to play for our country. You know, as a team, we are all really close and it's been really nice to spend time with everyone. You know, we don't always necessarily play the same tournaments or get a lot of time together.

But, yeah, the team atmosphere is awesome, and we are all just so motivated to play. The doubles girls did a great job the other night getting a win to keep us alive. That's what it's all about.

Q. You played Nuria a couple times this year. I think you beat her once and lost to her once maybe. I wonder if you had chatted to Heather about what the secret to turning that head-to-head record with her around was, whether you talked about tennis in that sense?

HARRIET DART: Yeah, I mean, of course you share things. Heather executed unbelievably well today. I thought she played great. That geared me up as well going on to my match.

Q. Just tell us what's so special about playing at home, playing here in Glasgow? You were really emotional after the game finished. What is so special about it?

HARRIET DART: Well, we don't get the opportunity very much, other than to play over the few grass court tournaments. But it's very different when you're playing for your country, you know. It's so much bigger than just you.

I could play any tournament on the grass, but it's not the same feeling as when I step out there. Every time I step out and they call my name and they call Great Britain, I get goosebumps.

You realize it's just so much more than you. It's huge. It's such a greater thing that you're trying to do. For me, playing Fed Cup is one of the greatest things, for sure, in my career.