THE MODERATOR: Welcome, Team Italy, to the United Cup. After winning Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup at the end of last season, is that a big pressure for you to have Triple Crown of team events?
CAPTAIN RENZO FURLAN: No, I don't know, every competition is different. We are very happy for what we did in 2024, and we are motivated to do well day by day. We'll see what's going on. We had great days practicing, enjoying Sydney.
So we are very happy to be here and to compete in the next day.
JASMINE PAOLINI: Yes, as Renzo said, I think the same; every competition is different. The condition also. We are here to try to do our best, you know, to try to enjoy this competition.
Personally I really like this competition. We see in the next days. I think we are a good team. We can do well, but it's tough. You know, this kind of competition are always tough. So, yeah, we will give our best for sure.
FLAVIO COBOLLI: I think we are a great team. We have great relationship with each other. I think we can do great things in this competition, and we are happy to start. We are also ready to go.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. For Sara and Andrea, you guys have had a lot of success in mixed doubles. How much of an advantage do you think this provides your team in a group where there's a lot of very strong teams, and what makes you both so good in mixed doubles?
ANDREA VAVASSORI: I think mixed doubles is a little bit different from doubles. Also at the beginning I was struggling a little bit to understand the game. I also try to speak with the women and ask like also their point of view. Because for a man it's always tough because you don't know at the beginning if you have to go full or, like, if you go not so much, they are so good at playing tennis.
Also, Sara is so good at the net. She's playing unbelievable volleys. If you don't go full, you lose.
I think also the women that play mixed doubles enjoy to play against men, so I think that also for their point of view is you have to go 100%.
You have to a little bit understand the game. I think it was very good to play Wimbledon together, to make also some practice together. We played the Olympics was an amazing experience. US Open was unbelievable. First round we had match point down, and then we won the tournament.
I think I really enjoy to play the mixed doubles. Also improve my game also in doubles. With Sara, I love to play with her with her competivity. We are combined very good, so let's see.
SARA ERRANI: I think we have good confidence each other, so it's really important on the court that. We know also that it's a big lottery. Yes, we are a really good team, but in mixed doubles with the killer point and super tiebreak it's not easy. It can happen everything.
But we are enjoying a lot playing together. So we hope to do well.
Q. How different is it for you to playing a team of singles players playing mixed doubles as opposed to a team of doubles players playing mixed doubles?
SARA ERRANI: It's not easy, of course. Maybe single player can hit strong, serve better, but I think it's also important to have good idea playing doubles. Also mixed doubles it's important to have good tactics, thinking a bit more, try to play a double and not two singles.
I think that can be helpful for us.
ANDREA VAVASSORI: I think in mixed doubles it's very important the game when the women serving because the guys have to move a lot. I think our communication is very good because in my serve --
SARA ERRANI: I serve really good, so... (Laughing.)
ANDREA VAVASSORI: We love to study ways, like to make damage. So it's very nice to play with Sara because she's very intelligent and wise on the court, so we can speak about it every point, like trying to make our game. I think it's effective in the long-term.
It's nice to talk about tactics every point.
Q. This question is for Sara actually. I'm curious, how different the vibe is in Italian tennis across the board now compared to maybe a decade ago when obviously the women were winning Fed Cup and everything like that, but now with the success on the men's side and the women's side, success in the team competitions on both levels, how different does it feel right now compared to before?
SARA ERRANI: It's tough question. Of course, now we are enjoying, of course, seeing a lot of Italian players playing so good. It's really important for our country also.
I think tennis is maybe for the moment after football the best sports in Italy. I don't know. Of course, when also the men are playing nice and women's is nicer.
I don't know if I answer your question. It's tough (laughing).
Q. My question is for Jasmine. Given the year that you've had and everything you've achieved, I'm just wondering where you feel like your confidence is at the moment, and with that, is there any more pressure being one of the top women in the world?
JASMINE PAOLINI: I don't know if I feel confidence. I tell you after this competition maybe.
But, you know, I'm trying just to focus on trying to keep the level that I kept all the last year. I'm trying to still improve something on my game. I have to improve still many things and trying to be focused on the work and trying to be focused on any match that I will play.
I'm not trying to focus on the ranking that I can have at the end of next year, you know. Just trying to live in the present, trying to enjoy, and trying to keep this level as long as possible.
Q. Jasmine, just on that point you were just saying, does it cross your mind that you need to repeat in 2025 what you achieved in 2024, the mental side of dealing with so many highs that you had during this year?
JASMINE PAOLINI: I think that it's impossible to repeat 2024. Of course, you cannot do the same year, you know.
I'm trying just to try to improve, as I said before, trying to, you know, add something on my game maybe, trying to with my coach also to see what we can do better. Then we see about. Of course, it's not going to be the same year of the last year. That's impossible.
So it's going to be a different year, but you never know. I'm trying just to keep this level that I kept all the last year as long as possible. I'm enjoying playing big tournaments, big stadium, with big opponents as well.
You know, I'm not thinking about the last -- I mean, this year, 2024. I mean, it's been amazing, but the next year is another story, you know. So I don't like to compare, you know?
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports