It wasn’t to be for Team USA at the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, as they missed out on the title once more.
Taking down Kazakhstan 2-1 and Great Britain 2-0, Lindsay Davenport’s side qualified for their first final since 2018.
Failing in their title bid, Team USA lost to Italy 2-0, with Emma Navarro falling to Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Jessica Pegula coming up short against Jasmine Paolini.
The defeat was tough to stomach for fans of American tennis, as the nation has now gone eight years without a title at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Reflecting on the loss, star player Pegula has now given her honest verdict on Team USA captain Davenport.
Jessica Pegula says she likes playing for ‘super direct’ Lindsay Davenport
During the latest episode of ‘The Player’s Box Podcast’, Pegula had this to say about her Team USA captain.
“I like playing for Lindsay [Davenport] because she is so funny but so direct. It’s so funny because she will just be very straightforward, and you just start laughing,” she said.
“Even yesterday, she was just very matter-of-fact. ‘You are not doing this, you need to change this.’ It’s so funny and so matter-of-fact. But she is so nice, it’s just the way that she delivers it makes it really funny. I would rather someone be super direct rather than be like I’m not really sure.
“I think as a captain, I feel like that is really important for the rest of the team.”
Pegula praised Davenport for the efforts she’s made in looking after every member of the team.
“Madi [Keys], you have had a really long relationship with her. I have not had that much [time] with her until she became captain, but I have always appreciated that, I feel she really looks out for each player,” she said.
“[She asks] Are you feeling okay? How are you doing? It’s not just how is your tennis, it’s how are you doing personally.
“Because she is so honest, she appreciates the honesty back of how are you? How are you really doing?”
Davenport is clearly well-liked in the Team USA camp, but what is her record like as captain?
Team USA’s record at the Billie Jean King Cup with Lindsay Davenport
The three-time Grand Slam champion took on the role in September 2023, replacing Kathy Rinaldi, who had just overseen a Group Stage exit.
Leading her team to the finals, Davenport began her captaincy with a win over Belgium in April 2024.
Team USA vs Belgium (2024 Billie Jean King Cup qualifier)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | USA (Jessica Pegula) | Belgium (Sofia Costoulas) | USA (1-0) Belgium |
| 2 | USA (Emma Navarro) | Belgium (Hanne Vandewinkel) | USA (2-0) Belgium |
| 3 | USA (Jessica Pegula) | Belgium (Hanne Vandewinkel) | USA (3-0) Belgium |
| 4 | USA (Taylor Townsend/Caroline Dolehide) | Belgium (Kimberly Zimmermann/Marie Benoit) | USA (4-0) Belgium |
Qualifying for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga, Team USA suffered a shock defeat in the round of 16 to big underdogs Slovakia.
Team USA vs Slovakia (2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals R16)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | USA (Taylor Townsend) | Slovakia (Renata Jamrichova) | USA (1-0) Slovakia |
| 2 | Slovakia (Rebecca Sramkova) | USA (Danielle Collins) | USA (1-1) Slovakia |
| 3 | Slovakia (Tereza Mihalikova/Viktoria Hruncakova) | USA (Ashlyn Krueger/Taylor Townsend) | USA (1-2) Slovakia |
Returning to the qualifying stage in 2025, Davenport and co. got their revenge on Slovakia as they booked their place in the finals.
Team USA vs Denmark (2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals qualifier)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | USA (Hailey Baptiste) | Denmark (Rebecca Munk Mortensen) | USA (1-0) Denmark |
| 2 | USA (Bernarda Pera) | Denmark (Johanne Christine Svendsen) | USA (2-0) Denmark |
| 3 | USA (Desirae Krawczyk/Asia Muhammad) | Denmark (Laura Brunkel/Emilie Francati) | USA (3-0) Denmark |
Team USA vs Slovakia (2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals qualifier)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | USA (Hailey Baptiste) | Slovakia (Renata Jamrichova) | USA (1-0) Slovakia |
| 2 | USA (Bernarda Pera) | Slovakia (Rebecca Sramkova) | USA (2-0) Slovakia |
| 3 | Slovakia (Mia Pohankova/Tereza Mihalikova) | USA (Desirae Krawczyk/Asia Muhammad) | USA (2-1) Slovakia |
Davenport then led her team to the finals in Shenzhen, where they fell to Italy, 2-0.
Team USA vs Kazakhstan (2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals QF)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | USA (Emma Navarro) | Kazakhstan (Yulia Putintseva) | USA (1-0) Kazakhstan |
| 2 | Kazakhstan (Elena Rybakina) | USA (Jessica Pegula) | USA (1-1) Kazakhstan |
| 3 | USA (Jessica Pegula/Taylor Townsend) | Kazakhstan (Elena Rybakina/Yulia Putintseva) | USA (2-0) Kazakhstan |
Team USA vs Great Britain (2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals SF)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | USA (Emma Navarro) | Great Britain (Sonay Kartal) | USA (1-0) Great Britain |
| 2 | USA (Jessica Pegula) | Great Britain (Katie Boulter) | USA (2-0) Great Britain |
Team USA vs Italy (2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals F)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | Italy (Elisabetta Cocciaretto) | USA (Emma Navarro) | USA (0-1) Italy |
| 2 | Italy (Jasmine Paolini) | USA (Jessica Pegula) | USA (0-2) Italy |
Missing out on the title in 2025, Davenport will be hoping to go one better and pick up her first Billie Jean King Cup title as captain in 2026.
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