DAVIS CUP FINALS

November 24, 2022

Mardy Fish

Tommy Paul

Jack Sock

Team USA

Press Conference

BOLELLI-FOGNINI/Paul-Sock

6-4, 6-4

Team Italy - 2

Team USA - 1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Mardy, your thoughts? Obviously it goes without saying that it's a great disappointment, but those singles matches were really close. Both could have gone either way.

CAPTAIN FISH: Yep. Yeah, no doubt that a tough day and no doubt that they were the better team today. No doubt about it.

Their doubles, they played phenomenally well. They're a great team. They have played a lot of big matches together throughout the years in Davis Cup, in the Olympics, and otherwise. They are very familiar with those surroundings.

Sonego was maybe the best player of the whole tie today. I mean, he played phenomenally well. Frances played his butt off. Just got beat. And it happens.

Obviously super disappointed, but these guys aren't going anywhere. These guys, Jack's our oldest guy at 30, so got a bunch of 25-year-olds in the rest, so it's a process.

You know, look, I have wanted to win this thing for a really long time as a player, as a captain, anything. It's not going to happen this year. That stinks, but we have all got each other's back. We have had a blast coming over here. We're going home without the trophy, which is a bummer.

Q. Tommy and Jack, your thoughts about playing that match in that atmosphere? Could you just give us an idea of what it was like out there?

TOMMY PAUL: Well, I think that atmosphere of that match is what a lot of players look for. We were excited to play the match.

We didn't play our best tennis today, and I think they played really well. All credit to them.

Q. First of all, I'm sorry for you. I'm happy for Italy. But I'd like to know, aren't you a bit -- I won't say afraid -- worried what will be the reaction in the States since, in Turin, Ram was saying, Why am I not been called? I'm No. 3 in the world and won ATP Finals. Of course Paul played this year 15 tournaments I guess, and he was only once in the semifinals at Queen's. So that maybe will create some critics to you, or you don't think it will?

CAPTAIN FISH: You can ask the question; that's totally fine. I have answered it an annoyingly amount of times.

We've got a lot of great players that play for the U.S. Rajeev is one of them. He wasn't on the team this year, and that's my choice. This is the team that I put on the court, and so if anyone has an issue with that, that's on me.

Rajeev has played. He's played and he's played well. He's played for us a few times with Jack, and this is a team that I was excited to see. Also Jack and Frances are a phenomenal team. They have played and beaten some really good teams in some competitions as well, and so we had a lot of options. This was the team we went with today.

But if Rajeev was here or not, those guys were going to win today. They played well and they're too good.

Q. Mardy, you just mentioned that Jack is the oldest of the group and he's 30. How important is that age factor for you in developing the Davis Cup mentality for the younger guys and the ones in their early, mid-20s?

CAPTAIN FISH: Yeah, that's what a lot of people don't understand of the reason why we had these four guys here this week. I've got a lot of questions about who was on or off the team this week, and these guys are the present and future of our team.

40-year-olds and beyond aren't going to play for very much longer, so I have to look at the future as well. It's not just, Let me look at the rankings and go down and just pick.

Doesn't work like that. Certainly doesn't work like that with me. It matters to me how you handle it, as well. How you handle not being on the team, how you handle being on the team, all that stuff matters. I add all of that stuff in.

So whether we have heard from you this week or not, whether you're on the team or not, this is a process that is on purpose, and I'll take all the blame if we don't do well, and these guys will take the credit when we win.

So, look, I will say this lastly about this. No one wants to win this competition more than I do. I'm sure there are many guys that want to win just as much as me. But I have wanted to win this thing since I was a part of it in 2000. That's 22 years ago.

We won in 2007. I was not on the team. I went as a practice partner anyways even though I wasn't selected. If you're not selected, that's an option as well that a lot of guys don't take advantage of. And I did when I played.

I was in the top 50 in the world and I came as a practice partner. We saw Berrettini out there. Didn't seem like he was going to play today or this week, I don't know, but he's on the roster, but he's here and he's supporting his teammates. That's impressive to me.

This isn't just a one-tie, one-match situation for me. It's a process to build this team. We have a phenomenal team, and we will have a phenomenal team next year as well.

THE MODERATOR: One question coming in virtually.

Q. Happy Thanksgiving from California.

CAPTAIN FISH: Thank you.

Q. I wanted to just talk quickly with Tommy. Incredible season. I just wondered if you could give your thoughts on what clicked for you this year and if it's changed your perspective about what is possible for you on the singles court the way you performed this year. Huge wins over Rafa, Carlos Alcaraz, and a lot of great performances.

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, I think I have just a lot more experience playing bigger matches. I think that helps a lot. I have been having fun this year.

It's been a long year. I have played a lot of tournaments. I think next year the goal is to try and be more consistent in every tournament so I don't have to play as much.

Yeah, I had a lot of fun this season, and hopefully next year I can do a lot better. I have goals and I want to achieve them next year. I will definitely be working hard in December.