BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

November 11, 2023

Tathiana Garbin

Martina Trevisan

Jasmine Paolini

Team Italy

Press Conference

J. PAOLINI/T. Zidansek

6-2, 4-6, 6-3

Team Italy - 2

Team Slovenia - 0

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, Team Italy. Congratulations. We will start with questions in English.

Q. Congratulations on the win. Jasmine, can you sum up what your feelings were when you clinched the win there?

JASMINE PAOLINI: Yeah, I was so happy, and yeah, I was happy also because it was finished because it was a roller coaster I think today. Yeah, I'm very happy for me, for my team. Yeah, I think we made an amazing job today.

Q. Tathiana, how much of a relief or good is it that you managed to get it done in the two matches, meaning a little bit more energy may be saved for bigger assignments tomorrow?

CAPTAIN TATHIANA GARBIN: Yeah, we were very focused on the first two singles. Martina, she get through a tough match. Wasn't easy today, because she didn't feel the balls like she used to.

But it's normal, because in semifinal, you have a chance to get to the final. It's difficult to play this match. It's not like an easy match. She was tough mentally and she get through. And then Jassy also...

JASMINE PAOLINI: Me too. The same (smiling).

CAPTAIN TATHIANA GARBIN: ...kind of the same match, but yeah, they both been playing very good tennis. Mentally they are very strong. They work hard every day, as I say, in the last couple of days.

I think it's a dream come true, because we all dream about this final. It came, like, we realize that we are in the final maybe just now. It's very good dream (smiling).

Q. I will ask Ms. Trevisan, did you feel that Kaja have little problems with the health or something like that, that she's playing slower and not in such energy as she could?

MARTINA TREVISAN: Honestly, I was so focused on myself that I didn't know was going on on other side of the court. Just at the end of the match, the man during the interview told me that maybe she felt something during the match, but I was so focused on myself that I didn't realize was going on on the other court, on the other side.

So, yeah, right now I'm sorry for her. I hope that she feel better or maybe not now but maybe during the next day. But, yes.

Q. A question for Jasmine. Obviously this has been a stellar season from you with two finals, quarters in Cincinnati, beating almost everyone here. Do you feel like something has clicked this year for you, or it was just a matter of keeping the belief in what you were doing?

JASMINE PAOLINI: I think it's the second one. I started to play better. I feel more confident maybe, and I'm trying to keep this level. It's not going to be easy, I know, but I work out every day for keeping this level.

Yeah, just this. I'm focused just on this, you know.

Q. Jasmine, am I right in saying that the last time Italy were in the Billie Jean King Cup final you were there as a fan?

JASMINE PAOLINI: Yes, I was there in Cagliari with Tathiana, as well.

CAPTAIN TATHIANA GARBIN: Because they won...

JASMINE PAOLINI: Yeah, because we won the Under-18.

CAPTAIN TATHIANA GARBIN: Fed Cup Junior.

JASMINE PAOLINI: Yeah, but European, I don't know the name, I don't remember. But we were there. Yeah, it was an exciting moment, I think, no, to see the girls winning the title. Was unbelievable, yeah.

Q. Did you think that you possibly one day 10 years later would be there yourself, or was that a dream or hope or was it an expectation?

JASMINE PAOLINI: I think was a dream. I didn't maybe expect it, I don't know. I wasn't thinking about this, you know. But of course is a dream come true, and yeah, let's play the final tomorrow (smiling).

Q. For Ms. Paolini. It seems like Slovenia suits you. You won the tournament in Portoroz. You go for Slovenia into the final of Billie Jean King Cup, so next year you will come...

JASMINE PAOLINI: I love Slovenia, yes. (Laughter.)

No, I don't know what to say. I mean, it's close to Italy. I played well in Portoroz. I have good memories there. Yeah, so I don't know. I love Slovenia. (Laughter.)

MARTINA TREVISAN: Right now, I don't know if Slovenia love us. (Laughter.)

Q. Martina, you talked about how Kaja was feeling. Wondering if you could talk about how you were feeling on the court? In the second set you were quite emotional at one of the changeovers. What was going through your mind and your body today?

MARTINA TREVISAN: Yeah, there was a lot of emotion during this match today. As I already said, I didn't see Kaja how was she feeling, because I was very focused on myself.

Yeah, it was my first semifinal here in this competition, and when you are on court and you are not playing just for you but you are playing for an entire country, for all the team, for my teammate (smiling) is not easy to manage the emotions.

So at the beginning of the match but also at the end of the first set, I had to be happy because I won the set, but I was crying. (Laughter.)

Kaja, I think she went to the toilet, and I say to Tathiana, Oh, better, because I need the time to recover from the first set. But I think too many emotion to manage. That's the true, yeah.

Q. Tathiana, obviously tomorrow is the final. You were just saying about 10 years ago when Italy last won, how important could winning this competition be for Italian tennis as a whole as much as for you all as a group?

CAPTAIN TATHIANA GARBIN: It's very important. I think right now we reach the final. It was a big goal. It's a big goal for us. Semifinal also. We came three years ago from the qualifying World Group, so we come from the very ground and we grow up a little bit every year.

This year we came here with all best ranking of my players, so we have to be really happy. My Federation, it is very happy for what these girls they are doing every day. Sometime it's not the results, because we judge the players for the results.

But I know the hard work they are doing every single day. I'm pushing this one, because it's the mentality I like from them. They have growing mentality. That's why we have to promote this mentality for the young future kids that they want to start this game.

What they have done it's something incredible, but as we say the other day, we are not satisfied. We want always going up and try to push ourself until the limit, and we try to dream again tomorrow.