BILLIE JEAN KING CUP: ITALY VS USA

September 21, 2025

Elisabetta Cocciaretto

Team Italy

Finals Press Conference

E. COCCIARETTO/E. Navarro

6-4, 6-4

Team Italy - 1

Team USA - 0

THE MODERATOR: Elisabetta, congratulations. You must be thrilled with your performance today. Could you please tell us about the match, how it went for you.

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: For sure I'm really happy. I'm super happy right now about the performance, about the win today. I played a really great match against a really tough opponent, so I'm super happy and super proud to take the first point for Italy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. After the semifinal, your singles match in the semifinal, you said you were going to learn from the experience and lift yourself up after it. You clearly did today. It's a different opponent, but what felt different on court today compared to then?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: For sure it feels amazing to have turn this attitude on court. Yesterday I talk a lot, spoke a lot, with my coach. We said that I have to improve my attitude on court, to be aggressive no matter what, to be positive, and to train as hard as I can.

Yesterday I was really focused on practice. Today also I was really focused about how I had to play, the strategy and everything. So I'm really happy the attitude I put on the court and how I was focused on court, about the strategy, not about everything else, just focus on tennis.

Yes, I was positive. Yes, I was everything. I'm really, really happy (smiling). I mean, we have not done yet. Jasmine is playing. After this and some recovery, I will cheer for her.

Q. You talk about being aggressive. You could tell that was your strategy today. How did you keep that up consistently for the whole match?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: I remind to myself to not think about the score, for example, but just to play near the court, yes, just to be aggressive, to move her, sometimes to go to the volleys, to serve as many first as I can because she's a really attacking player on the second serve.

Yes, I was focused just to be positive not against me but against the opponent. Yes, it went well, so I'm super happy about that.

Q. Your reaction at the end of the match, you looked almost emotional for a moment. Talk about those emotions you had.

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: I was really nervous in the match point because it was a really important match, not just for me but also for my country, all my teammates.

I just tried to stay focused and don't think about the match point, but think about the strategy. I said to myself to run every ball, go for it. That's what I did.

My reaction was, yes, almost I was crying. But I said to myself keep the emotion (laughter). Anyway, I'm super happy.

Q. You win, lose, win. Like an up-and-down journey. The Italian team make the court your home court. We have a lot of people cheering for you, like Chinese fans. How do you feel about the whole journey in Shenzhen with all the Chinese fans cheering for you guys?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: For sure it was amazing seeing a lot of Chinese people cheering for us. We also gave our papers with the 'Forza Ragazze', that means c'mon girls. They were really cute, really nice. The crowd support me a lot today, the Italian crowd, the Chinese crowd. I'm really honored for that.

Q. Is there one thing you remember the most during the match, what would that be?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: In the first games of the second set, I was a little bit more nervous. Yes, but I tried to said to myself don't be nervous, don't lose energy, but stay there, stay focused and try to keep the emotion inside of you.

That's what I did. I'm really happy about that.