US OPEN

September 1, 2005

Lindsay Davenport

Q. Guess you're pretty happy with the way you're striking the ball out there?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I felt like today I played a lot better. It's been really tricky with the wind. I read something Maria said that you actually can't tell when you watch on TV. It's really true. You get down there and it's much stronger wind than you thought it was going to be. But the other night I just felt like I was just a second or two off in my reactions and striking the ball perfectly, but thought I played a good player. Today I felt like I stepped it up a little bit better, was a little bit more consistent and was in control of the points more.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Didn't know her, and we played at the same time the other night. So by the time we got out there, I think it was just one game. So wasn't a lot we could do. I mean, you know, obviously I'm not here during qualifying to watch that either. But, you know, if I don't know anything about someone and we're not able to see them play, obviously I just got to take into account my own game and know that I have hopefully a set to try and figure out their game.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know, I guess you could argue that. That changed drastically when they started seeding 32 a few years ago. You used to have a lot more unknown or really tough battles in the first few rounds because obviously you had a chance to play someone ranked 17 through 32. I think that took away a lot of it, especially on the women's side. While we are getting more depth, if you go outside the Top 40 or 50, there's not tons and tons of girls that are really challenging the top players. There might be a few, but that's the way it goes. But on the men's side, obviously, you have some upsets still here once in a while. And, you know, hopefully women's tennis will get there to where there's a lot of depth through 1 through 100.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I remember when they were voting on it and I said, "Are you sure that the lower ranked players want this, because obviously it's great for us. And I, you know, will vote," and I was on the Board at that time, "what my constituents want, but are we sure everyone is on board?" Obviously, players 17 through 32 wanted that as well. Top players wanted it. The lower players didn't say anything. So I always thought that that was to the top players' advantage and was surprised that it got passed with such ease all those years ago.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I mean, from what I know, they keep trying to lengthen the Grand Slams, adding days and adding stuff. I doubt they're going to take away a match. Then we'd have three and four days off sometimes. But, you know, it gives an opportunity to a lot of other girls that get a chance to play in the main draw that wouldn't otherwise get a chance to play on the main tour sometimes. Maybe it gives them the chance for more wildcards. And, you know, it's always been like that. Obviously, tennis is slow to change that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, it's been really good. I haven't had any problem since I came back the second time this summer, and, you know, it hasn't really been an issue too much. I mean, I obviously get therapy every day, but nothing's gone wrong with it to make me think that it won't stay good. But you obviously never know. I mean, every other day helps quite a bit as well, knowing that I now have almost probably 48 hours before I play again. You know, it's obviously much tougher when you've got back-to-back-to-back matches.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: That's what has been happening. It only happened about three, four times maybe, starting at Wimbledon. So I haven't had a warning, but I don't want to think like that (laughing).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's tough. I mean, in pretty much every rule change we make on our tour, it's pretty much following what the men do. So we always get to see how their experiments work out. It's tough. It definitely doesn't favor the better team. I think the longer you can play and the more deuces and the longer games you have to play, the better team a lot of times will find a way to win. We'll see how the fans react and how the players like it. But it will be a change, especially when singles is played so differently.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I think we're one sport that's so closely intertwined. I mean, we're one of the few sports that men and women compete at the same venues, we get equal prize money at some venues, we share courts, we share weights and weight rooms, all of that. Obviously when you have people that are working that closely, you're going to get compared either way. You know, they, obviously, seem to focus on us and make comments more than we make about them. But, I don't know, maybe it's flattery deep down. I'm just kidding (laughing). I don't know. I mean, you'd have to ask them why they feel the need to bring it up.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I was totally being sarcastic (smiling).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I mean, the funny thing is he's one of my closest friends. We've been on vacation like four times in the last two years together, we practice together. He knows the different stances that we all take. We obviously have conversations about it. His quote to me was that all men are like him; he just expresses it. I said I have higher hope for men than that (laughing). I don't believe that they're all that bad. So, you know, it's just a philosophical difference, but it wasn't really, you know -- we believe different things, that's all.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: All men are like what he said in the article. And I said, "You can't really represent all men." He said "I do." So then I just said okay, walked away (smiling).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Feel like I'm what?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think that's always been the case. People like to ask me questions that maybe don't really relate specifically to certain matches or certain things. I don't think that's changed in a few years. But, I mean, definitely when they said I played -- this is my 15th US Open, it makes you think I can't believe, I don't think I can count all 15. No, there's no question I'm one of the veterans on tour. I like to think I'm still in my 20s, which I am. I'm not quite over the hill yet. No, I mean, obviously I've been around for a long time and seen a lot of things.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think they're all so good. I said this earlier in the year, I played Vaidisova - I think I say it wrong - in Australia, and I played Karatantcheva in Indian Wells, I feel like I've played all the young ones. I played another Russian, Kutuzova. I think that they're all so good. I think Vaidisova is a great player. I think for her age, compared to the others, she's going to be an excellent player. She's got a lot of skill. They all hit the ball extremely well for that age.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I get along with her well. We practiced together a few times. I think she's great. I don't know her extremely well off court, but I have practiced with her and talked to her. I think she's fun, I think she's young, and I think she's honest.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's funny, you feel so removed. It's the same country, yet it seems like everyone here is obviously concentrating on the tennis. All you have to do is turn on CNN to see exactly the horrors that are there. It's funny, you think like once the storm was over and maybe they were out of danger's way, and it gets worse and worse every day that you watch it on TV. It's truly amazing that, you know, the worst natural disaster that's probably ever hit our country has hit right now, and yet you do feel so removed from it. So, obviously, what those people are going through, you can't compare. You just hope that sooner or later that they're able to, you know, get the city running a little bit better and get some water and get some -- rescue some more people.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I donate lots to charity. I don't necessarily tell everybody the number or what I do.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Never. I'd get -- my husband would divorce me (laughing). If I'm like, "Oh, let's have a baby. Oh, I'm going to take the baby and travel, see ya," that wouldn't go over so well. I couldn't imagine trying to balance that. It's impossible. I feel like personally for me that when I make that decision, you know, with my husband, to have a child, that that will be the devotion of my life.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Probably eventually. I had to agree that I won't be going anywhere for a couple years when I'm done playing. And then, you know, we'll see what kind of road my life takes and where exactly I've -- what I feel interested in doing and, you know, how the home life is going and what I feel like doing. It's interesting. I've got hopefully a few years to figure that out and see what happens.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: We speak about it on a daily, if not every-other-day basis. I'm very lucky, I have two sisters with kids. I've got three brother- and sister-in-laws with kids as well. Most of our friends have kids, so we get to see it quite a bit. We talk about it quite often.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, yeah. I know that I'm going to have to be the disciplinarian; my husband is a softy. Talking about what sports, I don't want tennis; he wants tennis. We're not seeing eye to eye, but we discuss it (smiling).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have, actually, and Tracy as well. Tracy's boys are amazing. I told her that her boys are so well behaved. They all have three boys. Hopefully, that will be the same. But I think they've both done a remarkable job.