Davis Cup: Zoltán Nagy says the team did everything to win

– How do you assess the first day of the Davis Cup?
– Of course, we started the match with the idea that we would give everything to win, and those who watched the matches can confirm that this is what happened – Zoltán Nagy, the head coach of the Hungarian national team, began his assessment. – Zsombor Piros was victorious over France's number one player, Benjamin Bonzi, on the first day. Márton Fucsovics' opponent was a left-handed tennis player with an awkward style, and the necessary force Fucsovics needed to win was lacking.

– Did you expect Saturday to start as good as Friday?
– A year ago, Fábián Marozsán and Máté Valkusz played very well in Australia as well, so I didn't change my preliminary entry, and I wasn't disappointed. They surprised me against the duo who were the favorites on paper. One member of the duo was a doubles specialist, five-time Grand Slam winner and world number one, and the other had reached the final eight at the Australian Open, but I had confidence in the boys. They deserved to win in two sets.

– After that, it was a less fortunate day.
– That is true. Marci was up against another left-handed tennis player after Adrian Mannarino replaced Bonzi. Marci had beaten Mannarino twice before, but this time he lacked a little: if he had played the first set more steadily, he would probably have been more confident going into the second, but that wasn't the case. After that, he could not mobilize his energy to catch up. Unfortunately, I had to make changes when the score was 2-2, as Zsombor Piros could not play the match due to foot inflammation. He was already struggling with it before the competition on the weekend, and the strenuous match on Friday made matters worse - I consulted with the doctors and physiotherapist about it. Of the two doubles players, I finally chose Fábián Marozsán; it was not easy for him to take the final match, but he is a promising tennis player and hopefully, he will have many more successful years ahead. He played fair and well, but he was not yet able to handle the difficult situations.

– Do you think the national team players could support each other?
– I have always said that a team must be united whose members can fight for each other and the country - and that's how it's been. We were preparing in a good atmosphere, and it was also true during the matches. And it's a pleasure to see the next generation after Márton Fucsovics. They are lovely players, and they will be the future of Hungarian tennis for a while.

– They did not reach the world finals, so the team will have to play in the playoffs again to stay in the world elite. Do you think they can do it?
– I hope to be able to count on everyone, and after having qualified for the world finals last September, I'm confident that we can do it again in the fall. Until then, the players will concentrate on their individual careers.

– Speaking of individual careers, what do Hungarian players need to improve to be successful in the national team?
– Marci has been in the top 100 in the world rankings for more than five years now, training week after week with players like the Frenchmen he faced in Tatabánya. But I wouldn't even talk about him in particular. I hope that Zsombor Piros and Fábián Marozsán will get closer and closer to the top as well and that their physique and serve will improve, but they need to play in this high-level environment continuously. If this trend is upheld, and they continue to prepare like so, I will have more opportunities to choose high-level players for the Davis Cup.