BILLIE JEAN KING CUP: ITALY VS USA

September 21, 2025

Lindsay Davenport

Emma Navarro

Jessica Pegula

Team USA

Press Conference

J. PAOLINI/J. Pegula

6-4, 6-2

Team Italy - 2

Team USA - 0

THE MODERATOR: Team USA, could you summarize the week you've had here, getting to the Final after quite a long time. How was that for you?

JESSICA PEGULA: We've had an awesome week here. It wasn't the result that we wanted today. Just wasn't our day today. I think at the same time we really enjoyed competing together, making it to a Final, getting through a lot of challenges. Came up short today.

All in all I think we're looking to kind of build off this week. We're all heading to Beijing, so I think we're all excited for that.

EMMA NAVARRO: Today was tough. I didn't bring my best level. Both Italian players played really well and brought it today. That was tough on us.

But I've had an amazing week with a really great group of people around me. I've had a blast spending time with everyone on the team. It's been a privilege to be able to have this opportunity to play for the U.S.

Yeah, I'm incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity. It just makes me excited to come back and try to win this thing next year or in years to come.

CAPTAIN LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's been such a great week here. This event was really amazing to be played here in Shenzhen. We all enjoyed our time here.

Obviously disappointed with how today went. Really happy this event has found such a great home and we look forward to being back.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Jessica, with your match against Paolini, I know it had been a couple of years since you played her, what felt different or what were the things that kind of swung it her way?

JESSICA PEGULA: I felt like the game at 4-All kind of dictated where the match was going to go. Then she started playing some really good tennis in the second.

I felt like in the first, I felt like I kind of had the edge for most of the set. But it's tennis and unfortunately that doesn't always mean that you win the set. So that was unfortunate.

To me, that kind of felt like the difference I think.

Q. Emma, she really came out swinging, played really aggressive from start to finish. Was there anything that surprised you about her game?

EMMA NAVARRO: She's tough. She plays right up on the baseline and rushes you as much as she can. Kind of suffocates you sort of in the rallies. That was tough on me. I wasn't able to push back against that enough.

She made me uncomfortable. I don't think I made her nearly uncomfortable enough. Yeah, I think she also served well. I just didn't bring a high enough level today.

Q. Lindsay, this has been a really positive week overall for you as a team. What are the biggest learnings you're going to take personally from this experience?

CAPTAIN LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, every team is so tough here. I mean, we were match points down in our first match against Kazakhstan. If Emma doesn't beat Putintseva, who knows what happens.

But happy that we made a great run here. We felt like we had a great opportunity today. But, man, both of those ladies played great tennis. Congratulations to them.

We'll just keep trying. We'll get another chance hopefully next year to be back here in Shenzhen. We'll hopefully learn from today. Hopefully these players go on to play great in the rest of the year. I look forward to watching the year play out for all the Americans.

Yeah, it's been a great week. Tough day, but a great week.

Q. Jessica, what has it meant to represent USA in these Finals for you this week?

JESSICA PEGULA: It's been awesome. I mean, that's why we come to play these things. We know we're not just playing for ourselves, you're always playing for something bigger.

In my experience, playing these events, playing Olympics, has always been such a different feeling, something that is a privilege to be a part of. There's only so many times you get the chance to do that.

So for me, it's always so much fun. We were telling each other before the matches today, when do you really get a week to do this. It makes it so much more fun, even when you win or lose, to be able to share it with somebody.

I think that's always what is really special. We had a great group of girls this week. It means a lot to be able to just represent and kind of represent together, which is cool.

Q. Emma, I think you've known Cocciaretto since childhood. At least she knew you. Did you expect she could play such an aggressive match? She was out of her comfort zone to push you back.

EMMA NAVARRO: Yeah, I was expecting her to play aggressive and really come after me. Yeah, I think she executed her game plan really well with not a lot of errors. I think she knew exactly what she wanted to do and executed it really well.

Yeah, that was good on her.

Q. Lindsay, you were talking about learning something from this week. What is the difference on playing a team competition, what the team could learn? How different is playing team group?

CAPTAIN LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I've always loved the experience of being around a team. In this individual sport, you don't get many opportunities. This year we had two weeks to be able to do it in terms of this event.

I think it's a great atmosphere trying to just create the ladies to work together. It didn't go our way. I think that everyone here that was here for Team USA was really focused on the goal. Sometimes you fall short. Sometimes the other team just plays better. Both those ladies played great today.

Maybe there was a couple more things we could have done out there, but we all tried our best, everyone on the support staff. What can you do? It happens sometimes.

Q. Jessica, how much is it different having played this Final in September and next week coming back to play?

JESSICA PEGULA: I think it's great because we get matches. I mean, obviously we were able to win and play multiple matches. But I think it's nice being able to break up the year a little bit. After US Open, you are on such a high. It's the last Grand Slam of the year.

We got to go home and then fly here, I think have a nice energy and a nice team vibe, get some matches, have some fun experiences together. I think that will kind of hopefully be a nice reset before having to go play the last three or four tournaments for the end of the year, which is always tough.

Yeah, it was nice to kind of get used to the time change, get used to the conditions and stuff like that, be able to use that moving forward.