Team Czechia - 2
Team Ukraine - 0
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Team Czechia. It's been eight years since you won this. Barbora, you were in that that team eight years ago. How much does this title mean to you?
CAPTAIN STRYCOVA: Thank you. It means actually so, so much because to win it as a player and now win it as a captain of such an incredible group of players and be sitting there on the bench in the different position, to win it as a player and captain, it means so much.
To be honest, it was my dream which I didn't say out loud. But yeah, it happened. It feels, like, surreal but it's very real. I am very honored.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Karolina, your first time in Shenzhen, but you manage to win such a big and important title. How will you describe Shenzhen to the world in terms of your career?
KAROLINA MUCHOVA: It's very special. As Bara said, a dream of mine to lift the trophy. To do it with these girls sitting here, it's a pleasure. I'm just so proud of us, how we manage whole week, how we fight, how we practice whole week, how we just have the vibe in the locker. It was such a nice time.
To win it is like a cherry on the top. I'm just so grateful it happened, that we can celebrate now.
Q. The Beijing Open is about to kick off tomorrow. Do you see this victory as an excellent warm-up for the Beijing Open and the following WTA China swing?
KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, was really nice warm-up here for Beijing.
I think I'm still in the moment. I think we are going to celebrate a little bit. My head is not in Beijing yet. I look forward to that tournament. I love to come back every year. It's such a nice tournament and great atmosphere there with the fans and everything.
I just want to be in the moment and soak up the win today. I just want to go out with the girls and with our team to the restaurant and just celebrate.
Q. Karolina and Linda, how can you rate Anhelina and Elina's play today?
KAROLINA MUCHOVA: I felt like I could rely on my serve today, on my service games. I felt more comfortable on the court than two days ago, more familiar. I came focused to the match. I was just glad to get the first break.
Having the Czech bench behind me and all that, I was happy it kept rolling and I got the point for Czech.
LINDA NOSKOVA: Well, my match was definitely very tough. At the same time it's always better to go on court when the team is already leading 1-0. So thanks, Karo.
KAROLINA MUCHOVA: You're welcome (smiling).
LINDA NOSKOVA: But it was a great match overall. I feel like my (indiscernible) since the beginning and finished at the very end. Yeah, I was focused the whole time.
Elina, she's a great player, so she definitely put up a fight. But I'm glad I rode it home.
Q. First of all, I'd like to know if this week started any new tradition in the team, even about outside the court, what you do together when you're not playing? Having such a great movement in Czech tennis, men and women both, we know how passionate are even the fans, we saw it today, in future how important would it be having competitions like Billie Jean King Cup or WTA Finals, which you had during COVID time, in Czech Republic?
CAPTAIN STRYCOVA: For your last question, yes, I think it would be really incredible to have such a tournament as a Billie Jean King Cup in our country because the people really like tennis. They adore these girls. At the end it would be really great to have it at home.
The question before?
Q. If you started any new team tradition this week.
CAPTAIN STRYCOVA: I don't think we had any tradition. Dinners. We go all together for dinners. I don't think it's a tradition. We always did that. I feel like we all like it, kind of. We were doing this every single day. I don't think it's a tradition.
Q. Barbora, your name stands along Margaret Court, Billie Jean King and Chris Evert to be the only ones to win as a player and a captain. What does that say to you?
CAPTAIN STRYCOVA: It says so much to be next to such legends. I didn't know that before. They told me before the match. I had goose bumps to hear just the names.
To lift the trophy as a player and as a captain means so much to me. Yeah, I am very honored to be in this group of names.
Q. At the start of the week, were you picturing a week with six matches and six wins?
CAPTAIN STRYCOVA: Yes, I did, because I believe in my players.
Q. Linda, at the start of the week we spoke a little bit about tattoos. Any chance you're getting a tattoo for this, maybe with the rest of the team?
KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Definitely (laughter).
LINDA NOSKOVA: That's a great idea. I don't know if especially Marie will be up to this one (smiling).
It is one of the things that I've always dreamed of. It might be on the list. We'll see.
Q. Katerina, your teammates made your week so much easier.
KATERINA SINIAKOVA: Yes, thank you (laughter). That's the question?
Q. Did you enjoy? Playing is great.
KATERINA SINIAKOVA: I definitely enjoy it. It was totally different. I don't mind that I had to sit on the bench and just cheer for them. They did amazing job. I was trying to support.
Yeah, I was definitely happy I didn't need to go for deciding point. Yeah, I enjoy it.
Q. Linda, we all know you are very calm on court. Yesterday they asked you if you feel any pressure. You said no. With today's situation, when there's the loudest support from both sides, especially in the second set you had some trouble dealing with your wide serve, so how can you be so calm in that moment?
LINDA NOSKOVA: Well, like I said, I was not nervous at all before the match, which I thought was kind of weird. Obviously as the match started, I was already getting into the rhythm, so I didn't have time to be nervous.
But I just kept telling myself it's a match like every other else. Obviously this one mattered a lot. I was not playing just for myself, but for my country as well.
I did not feel or didn't put any pressure on myself. I wanted to play my game. I wanted to enjoy the match, which I did. Yeah, I'm happy with myself.
Obviously the second set was much tougher than the first one. Elina didn't really give me many free points, so it was tough. But it definitely reminded me of all those two other matches when both my opponents served really well and I had to go to tiebreak.
Yeah, I'm glad I finished it in two sets.
Q. If we look back, what kind of preparation would be crucial to the champion?
LINDA NOSKOVA: What kind of preparation?
Q. Preparation.
LINDA NOSKOVA: Well, we always have to start since the beginning. We cannot take anything for granted. We have to fight for each match. Each match really matters a lot.
I'm really glad that we didn't ever have to go into doubles, the deciding match, which is always the most stressful one.
I don't know. In this competition you never know who's going to play how. It's always very competitive. Yeah, you have to be prepared for everything.
Q. (No microphone.)
CAPTAIN STRYCOVA: I think we arrive pretty early to get used to the courts. Our preparation was I guess the same as the players are used to. The girls are so experienced they know what to do and how to do it. They know how to prepare for matches like these. They're as professional as much as they can be.
I feel like they do the same as other tournaments.
Q. Karolina, any special preparation?
KAROLINA MUCHOVA: I don't know. Yeah, we getting desserts. Every night we're getting the same dessert. We share it as a team. That's very special preparation for me. I don't do this.
It's backlava actually. Other one was called coconut dream. It's a coconut ice cream and cream. We just made it, like, a winning tradition every night. We always share it with the team. We always ate it because it makes us win. That maybe is different from the other tournaments.
Q. The desserts in Shenzhen?
KAROLINA MUCHOVA: We go to the restaurant in Sea World. It's like 15 minutes' walk for us. So yeah.
Q. I would like to know the secret to your win. Is it willpower? Mental strength? Technical or tactical preparations? What are the keys to your success?
MARIE BOUZKOVA: I think it's all of it. And team effort more than anything.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports