DAVIS CUP FINALS

November 24, 2022

Taylor Fritz

Team USA

Press Conference

T. FRITZ/L. Musetti

7-6, 6-3

Team Italy - 1

Team USA - 1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Well done. How difficult it was? What were you thinking when you were down 5-3 in the tiebreaker? Because before the tiebreaker, you had three times breakpoint on his serve and he never had on yours. But then you were down 5-3.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I was just thinking about how bad the balls are and how they get crazy worn out and I can't hit a winner. I was just thinking about how I just needed to like kind of like grind, because going for any aggressive shots kind of accomplished nothing. They were just so worn out.

You know, I had my chances earlier in the match. I felt like when the balls were a bit newer I could attack, I could maybe do something with the ball. The tiebreaker, I just felt, and end of the first set, as well, end of the first-set tiebreaker, beginning of the second, I just felt like I just had to focus on my serve and get through it and get to the ball change. As soon as I got to the ball change in the second set I was able to break.

Q. You got in a little later than the rest of the team. Any concerns about the court? Are you quite happy with the surface? The fact that you had high-level matches in Turin helped you coming in here as well?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I feel like -- I mean, I only got here I think like a day later than everybody else, but obviously I have played plenty of tennis, so fitness-wise I'm fine. Court speed-wise it's like you can't even really tell. Like I just -- these balls are so incredibly slow, it's really impossible to like miss, and it's also pretty impossible to hit winners.

It feels fine. Like I knew that I was going to come here and play fine. We played with the same balls at the last tie, and everyone feels like you're hitting the ball amazing because you literally can't miss.

But yeah, I don't know, I feel like fitness-wise and match-wise I have obviously played enough, so I was ready to go.

Q. In the last couple of years, it was often criticized that the atmosphere in Davis Cup isn't as good as it used to be. Here in Malaga, it seems a bit different. What do you think about the whole atmosphere in the stadium?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, I think it's pretty impressive that we came out at 10:00 a.m. this morning, and we're not playing Spain, we're not playing the home team, and it was pretty packed out there. So it's really good to see. I can't say I was expecting the 10:00 a.m. match to be so full. It's really good to see that.

Q. Mardy said yesterday the huge commitment you have as a team playing here while Thanksgiving in your country. What does it mean playing here at that time for you? Especially because of that, what would it mean for you to win this Davis Cup?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, it's always an honor playing for my country. You know, I think what he was referring to is just like how long of a year I have had, and especially after playing World Tour Finals, obviously it would be easy to kind of call it a year and start my off-season.

I don't know. I gave Mardy my word that I was going to be here, that I was going to compete for the team. So, you know, here I am, and now that I'm here, I see the other teams and I see our team, and I think, you know, we actually have a very genuinely good chance of winning it all. So it would be great to do that.

Q. I'd like to know, how important is for you the Davis Cup and how important you compare the importance of the Davis Cup in the States? Because I remember in '94 when Pete Sampras won 6-4 in the fifth versus Chesnokov in Moscow, and then he came back home and he said almost nobody did care or understood what he did. Has the approach of the American people and the media change towards the Davis Cup in recent years or not in your opinion? Is it more important for them or for you?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It's obviously way more important for us. I think no one really cares I think if we win. If we were to win Davis Cup, I don't think it would be even talked about on ESPN or our sports channels in the U.S. Maybe we'll win and I'll be pleasantly surprised, but yeah, I don't think so.

But we all want to win. The importance of Davis Cup for me is basically like you either win the whole thing or you don't. It's not the kind of thing where we make finals and I'm, like, I'm happy we made finals. It's like lose quarterfinals, lose semifinals, lose finals, it's all the same. It's either you win or you don't.

It would be really awesome to win it, I think. This team we have right now maybe cares more about winning Davis Cup than other teams we had, and I think we all are really motivated to try to win.