FED CUP - BELGIUM VS. USA

April 24, 2005

Lindsay Davenport

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Lindsay.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was trying (laughter). They're good. They have a great attitude about it. I mean, it's pretty hard. At this stage we're pretty far out. But, yeah, they were both into it. I was trying to get like a for sure. You know, hopefully we'll work on it. We'll hound them until after the French.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: We know them all really well. Logic tells you it's probably going to be on slow red clay obviously somewhere in Russia. You know, who knows. They've got so many great players to choose from, from Myskina, Dementieva. Pretty sure Sharapova is out of the mix. It would probably Dementieva, Myskina, Kuznetsova, Petrova. Impossible to say who they would choose. Definitely with their depth and their ability to play well on clay, we definitely need our best team. Hopefully at least two of the three of us will go. But better if all three of us could go.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It will be great. Hopefully they're into it. I mean, I'm sure if we send a strong team, I'm sure the tie will be very successful. We'll have a very partisan crowd against us. We look forward to it. I mean, you want to play in those kind of ties. It's more exciting to have all these people against you. Looking forward to it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, impossible till we play it. I mean, I don't know. If we could send all the players from both teams, I'm sure it would be probably the most exciting one I've been a part of.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, I didn't feel I played great in the first set. A little bit sloppy, some errors. The ball was moving around quite a bit with the wind. But, you know, it got better as the match went on. Got a little bit more -- moved on my toes a little bit more in the second set. You know, the most important thing was to go out there and hopefully seal it up 3-0. That's what I was trying to worry about. Wasn't so much about how I played, but just trying to win, you know, get the tie over with.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No (laughter). I mean, it's something that I've loved doing throughout my career. Other circumstances unfortunately came in the way the last couple years. Like I said, I mean, when I talked to Zina on the phone, I told her that I wanted to play, but I wanted to play to win it. I wanted to send good teams. I wanted it to be about winning. It's been great. I meant what I said. I told her I would commit to all three ties. I did that. I will keep to my word to that - injuries hopefully staying away - and look forward to it. It's a great, great opportunity. We have a lot of great American players. Just didn't think we should be the ones losing early in Fed Cup.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was about a necessary tie to move forward. The value was building the team. You never know what the other team throws at you until they send them. It could have been an unbelievable tie if Henin and Clijsters had come. When I agreed to play, I didn't know who the other team was sending. This team was about the first step towards a three-week process throughout the year. We were successful here. So, you know, we'll just look forward now. But it was great to spend the week with all the girls. We have a great team, had a lot of fun. It was very, very worth it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I wouldn't feel let down. I'd be disappointed more so that we couldn't send the best team. Everyone has to do what's right for them. There's no question, I skipped many ties in my career and probably, you know, disappointed many team members. But, you know, if it works out, it would be phenomenal. That's all that I'm hoping for. Like I said, I mean, who knows what happens injury-wise to all three of us. We've all been hurt the last few years for extended periods of time. That truly is the most important thing, keeping healthy. But if everything goes well, I hope to see, you know, two or three of us there.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. You know, one of the most important things besides the team commitment was the weeks that Fed Cup were scheduled in. This year it works out great for my schedule. I'm not a believer in having the finals at the end of the season after the season's over. I'm never going to play two or three weeks after the season ends. You know, that's the only time we have to rest. I looked at the calendar. I saw that after Wimbledon we have three weeks before the first California tournament. That tie is the week right after Wimbledon when we're already in Europe. That worked well. Right after the US Open, it works well. It's in the middle of the year. I told her that when I saw the weeks in the schedule, that those weeks were good for me, and I would commit to them. I hope we can come away with a win in September. I mean, that would be great. I don't think I would ride off into the sunset with a Fed Cup victory, but certainly something that I'm looking forward to trying to win again. I've won it three times. I would love to do it again.