DAVIS CUP FINALS

November 20, 2025

Tomas Berdych

Tomas Machac

Jakub Mensik

Team Czechia

Press Conference

GRANOLLERS-MARTINEZ/Machac-Mensik

7-6, 7-6

Team Spain - 2

Team Czechia - 1

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions.

Q. Tomas, what do you think was the turning point in the doubles match? Something you can really pinpoint?

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: No. I think it's quite difficult to say just one point which was the turning point because we had set points in both sets. It's difficult. Actually, there was no such a point like that.

I mean, obviously if we would make the first set, then I think everything would go I would say completely different way. That's everything 'if'. That's not part of the tennis.

Yes, it was the closest possible loss that we can have. That's a bit unfortunate. That's how it is sometimes in tennis.

Q. Quite soon after the result, but is it possible to digest what's happened and look to the future? You have a young team.

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: Yes, I mean, it is quite after.

I mean, no, overall I think it's been very solid season in the Davis Cup for the guys. Again, I have to thanks them first of all for the commitment to be available for all the ties that I had them available.

Winning at home, then winning the extremely tough one in States with the difficult conditions. Here they were fighting the maximum they had, losing 2-1 tie. Deciding doubles the way you saw it.

I'm proud of them, the way they work for the team. I think that's a good start. I mean, those things to win the Davis Cup are not happening overnight. I think this is just part of the process. It will be interesting to see the future.

Q. Tomas, the whole experience for you as captain, you're saying you're proud of the team, but what about yourself and what you've gone through with this experience?

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I would not say yet that I'm proud for myself because I've never said even I was playing. I was always maybe leave it for someone else.

But in this position is something different. I'm here to help the guys to achieve the best possible result. I'm trying to do it with the best possible I can. Yeah, I think that's pretty much it.

I think it's at the beginning, the journey. I hope I will have a time to work with the team longer, that the results will come up.

Q. Thoughts with going through that match and how tight it was? Right at the end, was it a matter of the pressure got to you or nerves or what happened on the last point?

JAKUB MENSIK: Yeah, well, obviously for me it was a tough day. Started pretty well with all of the emotions, with the great win. Of course, then after Jiri's match, we went back for doubles. I was ready, of course. You know how is doubles. Tomas said that well.

With the result, you can see that it was super, super close one. It was just the difference, my coach told me in the stats, of two points. Basically each set one. It could be the set points. Of course, there have been a lot of ups and downs during that match, but that's how the doubles are.

Of course, I'm a single player, so I see it in the singles perspective. In Davis Cup it's quite different challenge. Also throughout whole the day and everything what we went through, it was a tough loss. Of course, I feel sad.

The last point... I mean, of course I felt the pressure. If I made the double-fault because of the pressure, I don't think so. I did pretty great serves during the match. Second serves, just playing aggressively because that's how you should do it in the doubles. It was a small out. Nothing else to say with that.

Q. Jakub, obviously the worst way to end the year. Still could you reflect on the year you had, how much progress you did, what you're looking forward to improve in '26.

JAKUB MENSIK: Yeah, it's a tough loss, like I said. Overall if I look throughout the year back, it's been a great journey. Not just me, but I think all of us, all of us in the team. Yeah, of course if someone will tell me before the season that it will end like that, ranking-wise, result-wise, I will definitely take it.

For me is the most important thing that, even if I'm top 20 now, I can see in myself a lot of space for improvement, not just on the court but off the court, as well.

Of course, I'm super excited for what's coming next. I will try my best, like always, to improve my game, improve myself every day, every week, every tournament.

Yeah, that's what I'm going with for new season.

Q. Tomas, you won this event twice with Stepanek and so on. Do you regret Davis Cup is not anymore as it was? Do you think that something could be done? In the past week during the ATP Finals, most players said maybe should be played every two years, change little bit the format, find a way the Final matches to be played in two days, five matches instead of three. If you read what Alcaraz, Sinner and Zverev have said.

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: I saw that you came late for this press conference. This is not the case. What I want to say is I answered this actually quite often already before this match. I don't think this is the good time to be saying that.

If you know the answer what I was saying, it would look like that we are complaining that after the loss we saying something about the format. Basically that's it.

You will easily find all of the answer what you just said now, you will find them. Put them in the timeline and you will get them exactly.