DAVIS CUP FINALS

November 24, 2023

Jarkko Nieminen

Emil Ruusuvuori

Team Finland

Press Conference

A. de MINAUR/E. Ruusuvuori

6-4, 6-3

Team Australia - 2

Team Finland - 0

THE MODERATOR: We will start with questions in English.

Q. Jarkko, Emil, it's obviously not easy to talk after a loss, but I wanted to focus on the moment you had with the crowd afterwards. What were your feelings, your emotions, when you were bowing out to the crowd?

CAPTAIN JARKKO NIEMINEN: Well, first, yeah, empty when you realize that this trip for this year is over, amazing trip what we have had. I can say it started already, yeah, some years ago, but yeah, empty and then obviously, yeah, very thankful. Appreciated the effort of the team, players, the crowd.

Yeah, very sensitive moment, as well. Yeah, obviously it's never nice to lose, but yeah, I have to say Australia was a little bit better today. Yeah, credit for them.

But yeah, we had amazing trip. Now it's, as I said, it's over. It's empty, but yeah, overall obviously it has been amazing. Even though we lost today, have to look the big picture.

Yeah, when we had this kind of success, it doesn't take too long even after the loss to see, it's easier to see the big picture. Yeah, the support, everything has been amazing.

Q. Emil, you got the early break. You were up 2-Love. If you could have held on to that for a bit longer, do you think things could have been different? Also, is the shoulder 100%?

EMIL RUUSUVUORI: Yeah, I mean, you never know. It's easy to talk about "ifs," and I just couldn't do it. Of course I wish I could have, and then you see what happens.

But, yeah, he was incredibly tough player, especially on this court. Stays so low and he's so fast and everything comes back. I just couldn't do it for a long enough period of time. Some parts I was playing very well, but then it was too much up-and-downs.

The shoulder was okay, but I just didn't have the power that was needed. I mean, looking at the speeds of the serve, I rarely passed 200, and against him, if you play every point from the baseline, then it's very tricky.

Q. Emil, the last 12 months you have made great strides in particular with your tennis. So with this sort of experience and what you have achieved with the team getting to the semifinals, what does that do to lift your spirits, your confidence and all that as you look ahead to 2024?

EMIL RUUSUVUORI: Yeah, I think after almost every, except the last one, after every Davis Cup, then you go to the next tournament, you have, like, we played so well, of course, it makes the difference, but you just have this extra, like, motivation, energy, like passion, what you call it.

Yeah, I have been able to use it. Yeah, it's just a booster for me. That's how I feel. Yeah, I try to get everything you can and keep it going for the next season.

Q. There were one or two double faults in the second set and one or two that nearly were double faults and weren't. Were you taking a bit more risk on your second serve, or was it just one of those things?

EMIL RUUSUVUORI: Well, I think against him you need to be careful with the second. You know, sometimes he stands very close and he's very quick, so he can make a lot of damage with the return. So you can't really give him that advantage to start the point ahead and you're in trouble. Yeah, that's sometimes part of the plan.