UNITED CUP

December 31, 2023

Colin Beecher

Cameron Norrie

Katie Boulter

Neal Skupski

Team Great Britain

Press Conference

PEGULA-FRITZ/Boulter-Skupski

1-6, 7-6, 10-7

Team USA - 2

Team Great Britain - 1

THE MODERATOR: We have Team Great Britain here. Obviously very hard-fought matches today for all three of you. If I could go down the row for all three of you, if I could have your thoughts on each of your performances today. Katie, we'll start with you.

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, I felt like I played really well today. I think all the work that I've done in the preseason has started to come out, and very proud of myself for that. I've got a lot more work to do. These are the wins I want to keep having.

I felt like mixed, we played really well. Just got a little bit unlucky in the end. But I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of today, even though it was a tough day for all of us.

THE MODERATOR: Cam?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, I was really impressed with Katie and her attitude, and coming back from a set and double break down. She was playing great. She had some chances in the first set, and then she just didn't care and went straight back and fought hard and played to win. She really attacked the second serve in the third set and was impressive to watch.

It was nice to come on being 1-Love up. Yeah, I think Fritz was a little bit tougher than I was today, and he outhustled me in that tiebreak. It was a couple of points. Then I had a lot of chances in the second set on his serve. He missed a lot of first serves and I was unable to capitalize on that, and then he broke me and that was the match. It was a couple points.

I think with the mixed doubles, I thought they both played really great, and Nealy made some good moves at the net. He was dictating the match for the most part. Like Katie said, it was a couple points and a couple volleys, and yeah, the match could have been ours.

But it was definitely a good couple days of play, and we've got to put ourselves in a good chance or a chance to qualify still.

THE MODERATOR: Neal?

NEAL SKUPSKI: Yeah, like Katie and Nozza said, the mixed doubles, it was a match of a few points here and there. I thought me and Katie played a lot better today. We came out firing, breaking Fritz twice in the first. And yeah, we played a lot better, more dynamic. I think with the first match under our belt gave us a little bit more understanding of how each other plays.

But yeah, it was disappointing to come up for the loss because I thought we played very well. Yeah, we were in a situation where I think we need Australia to win now 2-1 to give ourselves a chance. Yeah, been two good days of tennis, and we're putting ourselves with a chance to go through.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Katie, can you just comment and talk about that win of yours being the best win of your career so far.

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, on paper, definitely is. I felt like I really wanted to take it to her today and give it my best shot and see where my level was at. I think I surprised myself a little bit at times with how well we were both competing, and we had some really good points.

I felt like I just backed myself at the right times and went after it. You know, I like to say I'm a huge fighter and I want to stay out there no matter what. I fought till the end. Today it went my way.

Q. How did you turn it around from a set and Love-3 down?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, there was one of the sides that was really tough to serve. I just tried to remind myself that it was the same for both of us. Kept trying to have a swing, especially on her serving. Tried to be a little bit more aggressive than I had been in the first. Really just played with nothing to lose, because at that point you really don't have anything to lose.

Yeah, I felt like I used my forehand really well today.

Q. Cam, with that singles match, it's a point here or there, can you just comment on that and what actually you felt made the difference?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, I think I did a good job of getting myself in that first set, and I played a very high level to break his serve at 5-4 when he served for it.

Yeah, I think the tiebreak came down to a couple decisions. You know, 1-All, I hit a good serve and came forward. Maybe I was a bit too aggressive with the backhand kind of leaning back drive volley, and then maybe the set point as well I probably came forward on a ball was not meant to come forward on and put myself in a tougher position.

Yeah, he was pretty good. He hit, like, a forehand slice down-the-line winner which caught the line, which was too good. Maybe I could have reached it, but yeah, it was a couple points in that first set.

Q. Did you notice many physical issues with Fritz with possible leg issue? He said on the on-court mics during a change of ends that he was trying very hard to not let you notice.

CAMERON NORRIE: I didn't notice too much. I think I hit one dropshot in the tiebreak, and then I kind of saw something. But he moved pretty well in the second set and played. I think maybe his first-serve percentage dropped a little, I don't know if that was anything to do with it. But yeah, he played well, and then he was out there playing the mixed. So I don't know if it was cramp or I don't know if it improved. I'm not sure what it was.

Q. Neal, you were just saying that you and Katie teamed up a lot better this time. Where do you think the difference was compared to the previous time?

NEAL SKUPSKI: Yeah, I think we did just obviously a few more different plays. I think in the first match we were quite playing a little regular, no I-formation involved, trying to play to our strengths a little bit more. And also the energy and the communication was a lot bit better. That comes with time, amount of times you play with each other. It's the same on the men's doubles tour, women's tour, the more you play the better you're going to be at a team.

Yeah, I thought we played well today. Obviously Jess and Taylor came up with a few good shots at the end.

But yeah, it was disappointing to lose, but I thought we played a good match.

Q. Colin, you'll be hoping the Australians are really going to excel against the U.S.

CAPTAIN COLIN BEECHER: Yeah, that's what we want. The two matches we have had, you had said we'd beaten Australia and we've ended up just narrowly coming unstuck in a mixed doubles match against America. Now the guys have done extremely well.

And today obviously Boults was, for me, was amazing in her singles match, and Cam did a great job, and the mixed doubles, as Neal said, compared to the other day it was chalk and cheese. There was more of a plan, and they had more different plays, and hence why they did what they did in the first set and narrowly came unstuck in the champs breaker.