DAVIS CUP FINALS

November 19, 2025

Jurij Rodionov

Team Austria

Press Conference

M. BERRETTINI/J. Rodionov

6-3, 7-6

Team Italy - 1

Team Austria - 0

THE MODERATOR: Thank you. We'll start with questions.

Q. It was loud in there. A lot of people. You had a lot of support, as well, a lot of fans. Could you hear them? How did they support you?

JURIJ RODIONOV: I think in these conditions, with so many people, sometimes it's hard to distinguish languages. Like, you just try to be in the zone, try to focus on yourself, on your game, the match plan I had with Jurgen.

Sometimes obviously when they were shouting my name, when they were chanting in German, especially if I'm on the side where my bench was, I could hear them.

Honestly, I thought it's a better solution for myself to just ignore them as much as I could, because obviously if I'll make a winner, maybe 500 people cheer for me, and if I make a double-fault, 10,000 people cheer against me. That's a big difference.

I was just trying to hold it to myself and focus on myself.

Q. Looking at the second set, up a break, then Matteo rallies back. At that stage with the break, did you have a little bit of a letdown? What was the situation?

JURIJ RODIONOV: I mean, the game at 5-3, I have to say that I just got tight. I stopped playing my game, became too passive, just hoped for Matteo to make mistakes. Yeah, the pressure got to me, unfortunately.

But then at 5-4, I think everyone could see that obviously I was disappointed with me not finishing the set. Still I forgot about the mistakes I made pretty quickly and tried to focus on the next task. It was 5-4. I was up Love-40 in that game, so I had three set points.

I think my reaction on not converting my serve was good. I held it together. I stayed calm. Unfortunately then at Love-40, Matteo played really, really good service game.

Q. Did you feel a little bit the pressure, especially in the first set? You held your serve, losing only one point in the first three games. You were up 40-15. Then you didn't put any more first serves after 40-15. In the second, saved three set points with three incredible serves. Not your fault. But the first set, maybe...

JURIJ RODIONOV: Obviously in these conditions, I'm not experienced this type of stadium, this type of atmosphere a lot in my career. Obviously it affects you in some way. The previous games in the first set, I was able to serve them through with good serving, with like a 1-2 punch.

At 40-15, especially at 3-All, I think I had a break point, which Matteo saved with an ace. Then obviously at 3-4, like 40-30, a second serve, I started to think, Let's not get to deuce. Then it was deuce. Then it was the second serve again. Obviously the pressure gets to you.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to serve my way out or to just play steady like I used to do in the first five or six games.

Yeah, that made the difference in the first set.

Q. Especially during the second set, what was Jurgen Melzer saying to you to help get you back on track after the service break had gone, Berrettini picked things up?

JURIJ RODIONOV: Well, mostly just told me to stay in it, to fight through the end, to not lose myself, just to keep fighting, which I think I did a pretty good job.

Yeah, I mean, in these conditions, in that scenario, there's not much else you can do, not much else you can say, especially technically. Yeah, I was just trying to focus on myself, just to keep fighting, to not give up. Yeah, I managed to do that. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough then.

Q. How do you explain that you're only 177 in the world? Honestly you played much better than your ranking.

JURIJ RODIONOV: Well, I have this question since I'm 18 honestly. I mean, I think a lot of people who watch me play these kinds of matches ask themself the same question. You only see me play one match. If you see me play 30 matches, I think then you have your answer (smiling).

That's one thing I am struggling the most in my career, to play consistently, like I did Hungary where I beat Fucsovics 6-1, 6-2, where I played unbelievable. Then after the Davis Cup, I played four challengers, and my best result was quarterfinals.

It's sometimes tough to explain. Yeah, I have this issue for many years. Obviously I'm trying to fix it. If it was easy, then I wouldn't have this issue. But yeah...

Q. It's been a great Davis Cup season for you this year. What are you going to take into next season from this season?

JURIJ RODIONOV: Honestly, I mean, I think I have all the tools I need to be better ranking-wise. I just have to find a way to consistently put them in play, to consistently match by match, week by week, play my things, to do my things, then I think everything will fall into their place. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do that a lot in the previous years.

Honestly, I'm not a very optimistic person in general (smiling). But yeah, I have a great team around me, a lot of people who know me very good and try to help me as much as possible. In the end of the day it's my choice if I want to make the final step forward.

Yeah, I mean, it wouldn't really make sense for me to be here and say I'm not going to make it. Obviously I'm trying my best to make it. Obviously I'm trying to make the right calls and work on my game. Time will tell if I'm able to do it.