WIMBLEDON

June 20, 2005

Lindsay Davenport

Q. Was that as comfortable as you could have expected? Were you happy?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, not having played a match on grass and coming in here at Wimbledon and Centre Court, you always want to start off really well. You know, I played great. I'm really happy with the way I played. Hard to read too much into it either way. But I served well, hit some -- hit the ball cleanly and was able to get out of there pretty quickly.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I feel like I'm feeling pretty strong. You know, on grass it's most important to hopefully not get injured and, second, try and get off the rally to a good start, whether serving well or returning well. I've been concentrating on those things and I'm just going to keep trying to do those well.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. After I left here, I seemed to get on a great roll last summer. I've had a wonderful ride the last 12 months since leaving here. Never would have expected exactly how things turned out. I would never have dreamt that. I'm still out here because I'm enjoying it. I feel like I'm playing well enough. You know, obviously the ultimate goal is always to try to win another Slam. I've been really close and haven't quite gotten through. But I still feel like I'm knocking on the door of having that happen. Hard to walk away when you feel like you could achieve the ultimate goal in tennis. While I still feel like I have that ability, I'm going to stick around.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I would be -- I'm extremely shocked if I went back 12 months ago to this time. If you asked me about four or six months ago, not as shocked. Really once the summer was over and went through the fall, you know, I definitely made a commitment at the end of last year that I was going to play again through this year. I've known for a while I would probably be back. But at the time I was sitting here a year ago, I just felt like I was losing that little inner fire that you need to always be at the top. And I didn't want to see my ranking just start kind of going down and start retiring at like ranked 15 or 20, for reasons like that. I really take a lot of pride in being successful and doing well. After I left here, it got relit. You know, I don't know how else to describe it. Came back and started playing really well again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It probably centers more around the tennis, for sure. Success obviously makes you enjoy anything more. But I started to feel I played at a level that I could contend and, like I said, have that chance to win the ultimate prize. When you've done that and then you feel -- I felt like I was playing the two years prior, after coming back from the two surgeries, just to play. I didn't really feel I could win for a couple years. Then all of a sudden starting last summer, I felt like I could. It's the big difference in your mental game when you feel like you can still do that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Probably too simplistic. But, you know, it definitely helped all of a sudden winning all those tournaments in California and starting off on the right foot in the first one. But that match definitely kind of catapulted me with the confidence to kind of get through the rest of the summer. But I think as things started rolling, I think it was a combination of a bunch of stuff. But winning that first tournament right after Wimbledon definitely helped.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, it's been great. I was so excited to walk back here a few days ago. I love playing here, I always have. You know, even to be seeded 1 and get to play on Centre Court the first day is great. It's pretty exciting even after I've played countless matches out there. I've had a wonderful time here the last few days, really a lot of fun. I hope it keeps going.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, there's always pressure that you put on yourself, regardless of outside forces. But while enjoying it and while excited to be back, I mean, there's still business to be done. I want to do well, so there's still some pressure there.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, I don't try to read too much into particular matches. I try to focus on each surface, what I need to do well to be successful on that surface. So if I look back today, I'd say, "Okay. I was aggressive with my shots and I served well. That's important on grass, so that's great." But I know more than anybody that in 48 hours the exact opposite can happen in this freaky sport. I just try and keep sharp on those kind of things. I could go out the next day and play great or not play so well, and you're still in the tournament regardless. So you kind of have to learn to be immune to either thinking you're playing so well or not playing so well.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, that's interesting. Probably doesn't really compare because, I mean, like I said, I knew the last few months I'd be coming back here. When you actually walk back through, and I remember last year crying a little bit when I left thinking, "Oh I might not be playing here again." In that regard, it's pretty fun to be back here and be playing well, being seeded 1, and all of that. It's pretty special. I would think it's kind of a different feeling. I feel like kind of on a little bit of borrowed time because I didn't think it would necessarily happen again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, no, no.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I just lost the mixed semis and was upset (laughter). Just kidding. No, no, it wasn't like that. It was just like, you know, take a deep breath and be like, "Well, I wonder if this is it. Could be."

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, I walked back here with Corina. We were just kind of joking around . I'm like, "We're back." She was kinds of laughing, too. It didn't get so philosophical as that. I mean, '99 seems like an eternity ago. It's hard to conjure up any really clear memories of that time. Maybe if I saw like a highlight on TV, but it's so far removed. So, no, I guess it wouldn't have been that memory. I think just coming back and seeing how beautiful it is, especially before the tournament starts like on the Wednesday or Thursday before, seeing the calmness of Wimbledon in the week before, that's kind of like the greatest time to be here.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's like one of the hardest things I think that people expect in sports. I mean, to switch the most extreme surfaces in the small amount of time we have -- I mean, I know the latest I've gone in the French is the semis, but the finals of doubles which is still Sunday, it's not easy. I've never kind of understood the timing of the two Slams and the extreme opposites of the surfaces. It takes a lot physically. I mean, after you win a Grand Slam, I mean, mentally it's a pretty excited first few weeks afterwards. Then to get right back, geared up for another Slam, it's pretty tough. We'll see. I don't know how Borg did it, but we'll see who can kind of repeat that. It's going to be tough.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I'm pretty sure I play Jackson. Yeah, she's a good young player. It's nice to see some Americans kind of do well. I know she came through the qualifying. Obviously she's been playing well on grass. I watched a little of her play today on like the monitor. But, I mean, I don't know tons about her. Anyone who's kind of fought their way through Roehampton and through the first round must be playing well. For me, like I said, serving well, going after shots and being aggressive is the most important thing. I'll worry about that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: She's remarkable in that regard. She's come back from some situations that have been pretty dire, like the US Open. Great fighter. I mean, if anyone can do it, she definitely it seems has the capacity to do it. You know, I think she is by far the best clay courter in women's tennis. I mean, she obviously proved that this whole clay court season. We'll see on the grass. I think it gives the bigger hitters a little bit more of an advantage than on the clay court against her. I know she's in kind of a tough section with both Williams, who are obviously great grass courters. It will be interesting to see. I really don't know because I haven't actually seen her play on grass all that much. We'll see how she does these next two weeks.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Huh-uh.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't mind it, no.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think not only is it the top five rank, but it's been the top five players for the last few years. Kim and Venus, even though they're not ranked in the top five, we're on our way back to having all the really great players playing at the same time and that's really what we've been lacking the last few years. It would be great if we could get everybody playing healthy and playing their best and then seeing what happens. It's going to be, like the French, one of the toughest Slams we've had in a couple of years for that reason.