WIMBLEDON

July 1, 2003

Lindsay Davenport

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please, for Lindsay Davenport.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I don't think it really went off. I mean, was fighting, you know, hard for a long time, I mean, and just didn't seem to make as high a percentage of first serves in the third set as I was earlier. I had my chances the first two times she served in the third, a couple 30-all games. And, you know, got to step ahead early in the third and wasn't able to do that. Would have been nice to have been up an early break. Then got broken a game that I was kind of up in a little bit. And, you know, it just turned there. I mean, I had the momentum and just kind of gave it back to her early in the third.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: As far as her confidence, I don't know. I mean, she could probably tell you better than I could. But, you know, I thought she was hitting the ball well. I mean, I don't think she played like that in Paris - there's no way. And I think she likes the grass; it shortens the points for her. Because I think on the clay, a lot of girls were just getting too many balls back for her. It's tough to do that on the grass because her shots are very penetrating.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, you know, even the first service game, I think I made something like nine out of ten first serves and still got broken. I don't think that would happen against a lot of players. But, yeah, I mean, you know, I was trying to keep the points short and trying to go for shots, whether they were winners or errors. I felt the longer the points would go, it would probably benefit her more than me because she could run down a lot more balls. And, you know, we got into a few long rallies, and it's hard to do that on the grass because it's tough to control the balls. But, yeah, couple years ago, I mean, not too many girls could handle the pace, and it seems the Williams actually probably like it more when there's pace.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: A little better. The funny thing was, though, I thought I was aggressive in the first and just a couple games I missed just a couple balls long, but not very far. Hit the tape a few times. So I actually felt that even though it was 6-2, I still felt like my shots were there, just missing by a little bit. I kind of pulled them in a little bit. In the beginning of the second, fought off a few close games. And, you know, they started to fall in all of a sudden. Again, just lost the momentum too early in the third I thought.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: A little bit. I was trying to mix it up all the time and not go to the same place a lot for her, try and throw her off that way and not give her a lot of rhythm. So it worked well. I was trying to go in the body a little bit and trying to play the forehand a little bit more on ground stroke rallies. But she has a phenomenal return. Like I said, there's not many girls that if I'm serving well and placing them well - which I actually thought I did for the first two sets - that they can hit winners off the first serve or get into an offensive position off my first serve.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not at the baseline. A few times at the net, I think her reach is where you really see it. And it looked like she was at the service line, going down, she would just reach for balls that I thought were pretty good passes. You know, I think girls more and more are running down balls from the baseline, but I think her reach, especially on some return of serves and when she's at the net, her wingspan is very -- helps her cover a lot of the court.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I wasn't really trying to focus on her much. I thought earlier in the tournament she seemed, you know, really focused. People were expecting a tough match with Petrova, and she kind of took care of that easily. I'm sure that she feels like she wants to turn her season around here, but I don't really know. I wasn't watching her too much.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I thought it was -- I thought I played well for about the first two sets. And, you know, that's the way it goes. I mean, she was definitely better than I was today. And I don't know. I mean, I'll see how the summer goes, how my foot holds up, and just kind of take it kind of tournament by tournament now.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was good. I mean, my foot hasn't flared up yet. The Cortisone seemed to help. I think it's just, as the doctor says, a matter of time before that wears off and then go to step two.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: She hasn't called me in a long time (laughing).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: A number of months, so no.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. I mean, I have no idea. I mean, I'm sure she wants to say something, but... You know, I originally had talked to her when she sent out an e-mail asking if I wanted to play. I said, "Oh, my mom's having knee surgery, I'm not sure." And I never heard back from her. It was here when Lisa Raymond told me, "Oh, I think I'm on the team." I said, "Oh, that's weird. She never got back to me." So then I wrote her back and said, "Well, you know, I can be there but..." And I got an e-mail saying "Don't worry about it," so... As far as talking to her, no, I haven't talked to her probably since - I don't know - long, long time. Six months, five months, I don't know.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I don't remember it. I'm sure it's been a while.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, it's not really discomfort. I mean, the team of I think it's Venus, Monica, Shaughnessy and Raymond, you know, Billie wants you there Sunday or Monday, so that's obviously her choice to go with. You know, I think I was more disappointed in the amount of years I've put into Fed Cup and how many ties I've put in and how many times I've asked for special favors, which is about zero, and one that I think is pretty understandable. You know, I'm obviously not going to miss being with my mom when she needs some support. So I'll think about it harder the next time.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: That's fine. She has given people permission to show up late before, and so that's kind of where I was going. I didn't ask to have my coach on the court, I didn't ask to not practice with the team. I asked to come later, and I've been part of teams where other members have come later, even later than being at practice Wednesday morning. That was all, I thought.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Probably less. I mean, I don't see myself going out there and extending my season and posssibly my surgery in November. You know, it just -- it's just a weird feeling. I just feel kind of over it now. Just I had a lot of good memories. And from what I've been told, you don't have to play Fed Cup to play the Olympics. So there's, you know, concentrate on other things now.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Time's running out. I don't know how many more I'll be playing in to know that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was. Once it was 4-1, it just seemed to go so fast again. And I really wanted to get up early in the third, like I had in the second. I don't think it has anything to do with, you know, the last few weeks or months or whatever. You know, I felt like at least I played good, solid, aggressive tennis. I didn't just get balls in and didn't put up a fight. So, you know, I felt like I was playing really bad when I got here, and at least I can leave saying, "Oh, I was able to turn it around and play good tennis," and hopefully that carries over through the doubles and then through the summer.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: We'll see. I'm not sure.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, we don't know. We'll see...

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, no, it definitely ran through my mind when I was out there, that that could be my last singles match out there. But, you know, I don't want to blow it out of proportion. Absolutely no decision by far has been made. So just kind of play it going through the seasons and the Grand Slams now.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I hope to. I mean, the only way I wouldn't be is if I had to do the surgery before. I'm definitely going to finish the year out, especially with playing the US Open, and I also have doubles, which we're trying to make the Masters. I made a commitment to that. So, yeah, I'm gonna definitely try and finish the year barring a foot surgery.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Now you're going too much into it. It's definitely -- the thoughts have been in my mind, especially which I need another surgery. It just wears on you after a while. I'm 27. I want to feel like I can keep getting better, and I want to feel like I'm one of the top players. I don't want to be, you know, 6 or whatever the ranking is, through 20. That's just where my heart is. So, you know, I was really happy I was able to turn it around here and play better, and that gives me some hope for the future.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's anywhere from four to eight weeks, so probably, you know, six to eight weeks before I'm playing again in a singles tournament, from what I've been told. So off my foot for about three to four weeks and a couple weeks trying to get back, ready for it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, it is, exactly.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I have to have it or else I'll never be able to walk again once it comes back. I mean, I can walk, but it's really painful, surprisingly. I swear, I just kind of go by how it's gonna go. I don't know. There's absolutely no plans made. I think when Steffi came in here that year, she was absolutely adamant that this was it, and she was quitting soon after. I don't know, and that's different from where I've been in the past where I've been concentrated. It's not saying that, "Oh, it's over." It's just saying that I'm not sure anymore.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I'm hoping to wait until after the Masters in November. You know, I can get Cortisone injected another maybe two times, the doctor said. The first time could work a few months, it could work a few weeks on the hard courts.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I'm hoping, if all goes well, and I do it like November 5th or whenever the Masters end, I mean, there is a chance I could play Australia because that's just about eight weeks away, nine weeks away - if that's going well and everything goes according to schedule.