PILOT PEN TENNIS

August 27, 2005

Lindsay Davenport

Q. Considering you didn't play much this summer pretty big positive for you going into the Open?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, it was an interesting week. No matter how much experience or how long you have played you never really know what to expect after coming back from an injury. I am very happy to be here winning the title. I don't necessarily know that I would have picked that at the beginning of the week. I really wanted to come in here and kind of test my back and play matches and see how everything held up. Definitely went better than I could have hoped or expected.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I think she's an incredible player. I think going out there against her. I know that she's very good. I know what to expect and always play very good tennis against her. I really don't know how to explain it, so I am not sure what to say.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. I think she really likes to dictate play and step inside and I know that sometimes my balls and the pace of my balls don't allow her to do that. I think that she has a hard time maybe playing her attacking game against me, but I don't know, I don't know exactly what goes on with her mentally before playing me. I also know she had an extremely long match yesterday and I don't know if that took some out of her. But I knew what I wanted to do out there. It was -- struggled a little bit in the first set exactly being able to do that but I felt like in the second set I got a lot better and a lot more confident.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I guess. It was a lot of times in the Finals that's for sure. So nice to be able to come out on top, especially maybe a year I didn't think that that might be the case. Whenever you can win a title it's -- obviously it is a very exciting and to win here after I have been here so many years and really enjoy the people and everything about this tournament, so nice to have this under my belt going into New York.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It didn't seem like it was quite that long, but, you know, I think she misjudged it and that was it. I don't know. I mean, felt like I played -- well, my last few service games and, you know, I don't know what to say, just happy I won.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I was today trying to get a lot of just first serves in and not tried and go for too much. Seemed to work. I think I was trying to make it up well and it did what it was supposed to do.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was. I think more is on the second set I felt like I was playing well and hitting the ball well. First set I just don't think either of us played all that well. The side wind was affecting I know, my footwork a little bit and some balls was misjudging and overhit a few. But as the match went on I felt like I was getting better rhythm and on top of balls. And being a little bit more consistent with my shots.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, just nothing. I think we have a great relationship. She's really nice, always had a lot of respect for her, and talking about stuff that probably wouldn't interest you. (Laughs) I can't repeat. (Laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I mean, obviously it's nice to be able to get that back. Like I have said I think both of us would have preferred if we could have played all summer and really battled it out that way. From now I think it is really telling what kind of transpires at the end of the year, but obviously I was really disappointed to not be able to defend all these points that I won last year, I am sure she was disappointed. She was only able to play I think one tournament, so we'll see what happens through the US Open and in the fall season. We both really I think our focus is on the US Open and trying to win that. Not so much on the ranking at this point.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Really happy first of all, I was able to come here and get through all these matches and still feel healthy and ready to go for New York. That was a big test for my back. I think it was really important just to play some matches and hopefully get some of the rust out of my game. Obviously to win the tournament and going into New York with that under my belt is a great feeling. So I think overall, the whole week was nothing but a positive situation for me.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: That was tape, not plaster. Nothing, I have like a really tight groin a lot of times and so a lot of times I just tape it for precaution and prevention. I did the first day and I did today, some days it is tighter than others, but it wasn't -- it feels great now, so I am happy about it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I hadn't yet. It is a milestone?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I think gosh, I hope I get there. 48 is still pretty amazing no matter what happens, and it's been great. I couldn't have guessed that I would win that many titles in my career, so I will try and get the 50.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It does. I think in your career it goes in stages and, you know, I had a really tough two or three years there with two surgeries and just obviously when you are out of the game for periods at a time you lose a lot of your drive and what makes you so good. It was a long time coming back, longer than maybe I thought it would. I probably underestimated exactly what the toll that the two surgeries took on me. I feel like this is like another chapter after that and it's been really, really fun to be a part of that the last about 16 months or so. I am happy I was able to come back this maybe final time, who knows, but just have a really good run.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: There was never a time that I didn't think I would be able to play. Like I said, I think I tried to come back too soon from Wimbledon because in anticipation of playing in California and once that I knew that probably wasn't going to happen in California I think I went about it finally, at a little smarter pace. Then set out a more realistic schedule, so I took it slow and even last week during the tournament in Canada I was back practicing at a good pace and I really wanted to get through a whole really tough week of practice before I came here. I was able to do that. I knew this was kind of the right place to start and the right choice that I made.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Last year it really seemed like it was all going to go my way and it just didn't happen. I don't know what to expect this year. I am happy to be back at the US Open and get another chance at that title. Happy that I was able to come back and win this tournament and hopefully have that confidence kind of keep going through the US Open, and we'll see what happens. You never know when it comes up on you and hopefully just keep playing better and better.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, luckily, no. I think I will never forget it. It is not something actually I want to forget. It was incredible memories being part of that and how the whole tournament kind of transpired, but obviously there's still disappointment in losing that, but the great thing about tennis is you have more tournaments the next week and another Grand Slam coming up in two days and able to try and build on that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think I said that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't believe I said that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, obviously you never know when a career is going to come to an end. I have no absolute, no plans to stop. If I said on-court as long as I am playing and in contention for titles and not injured, I am going to be back and I absolutely believe that and I mean, I guess you never know when you are playing what can happen, but I don't at all foresee the end of my career.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It is tough to say. I don't know about that. The year I did win the Open I lost here in the semis, so it's funny how that works. Obviously you'd rather go into the tournament having won the week before and feeling very good about yourself, but I think, I don't know if that was a huge factor or not.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I think so. I mean, it's great to win this title for myself and the comeback and to prove to myself that I am still there. I don't know how much it will factor in, you know, when -- 12 days from now or whatever at the end of the US Open. Hopefully it will get me off to a good start though.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not really. I am not one to reminisce anyway. I don't look back positively or negatively. Maybe that would be better. I don't know. All I can worry about is what I am now in my late 20s, almost 30. And that's kind of where I go from that. I worry about different things now than I did then. Obviously I wish I had been as smart in my early 20s as I am now or more knowledgeable about what needs to be done and stuff. But I feel like it was a great, great road for me and a great learning process. I figured out a lot of things on my own that probably made me a stronger person. I am just -- I am happy with who I have become no matter what road that took. I am happy to still be sitting here and feeling the way I do.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: As a competitor, I'd love to improve on everything. You never want to think that anything is satisfactory so I am going to continue to go out there and obviously my groundstrokes and my serve are the cornerstone of my game so I continue to try and work on those and practice hard and be aggressive and be consistent and everything that goes with that. Got to stay healthy. Not get any injuries and work hard to stay strong, and hopefully everything will fall into place.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I am sure there is. Like I said I am just going to keep on going out there and playing match and fighting my way through it and maybe being more aggressive, try and to come in and everything that goes with it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's nice when you are feeling confident and being aggressive and taking short balls and coming in. A couple of times I backed off but a couple of times on really important points I think it helped a lot. I think that's comes with playing more, the feeling the confidence that you can come to net and put balls away, and I think today was a great first step I was able to do that quite a few times. Hopefully I can continue to do that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was all business this week. Thanks.