WIMBLEDON

June 25, 2003

Lindsay Davenport

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Lindsay Davenport, please.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, the first six games were close. I thought I was holding my serve pretty comfortably, though. I felt really confident in that aspect of my game, and I felt like I had a lot of chances those first few games to break. It didn't just -- just didn't come until 3-all. Then once I got that first break, I really felt a lot more confident and a llot more at ease on my shots. So I think I was really close in the beginning, probably just forcing it a little bit too much. But overall, I'm really happy with the way I played and the type of tennis I was able to play. Most importantly, I think I've found a little bit more rhythm on my serve, and then that always helps my game a lot.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I really felt confident. I was hitting the ball without second-guessing myself and really forcing her on her back foot a lot, and really getting the shots that I like to have so I can set up. So kind of match I needed to maybe get my confidence back and to get myself going in this tournament if I want to have a chance.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think with grass, you want to set the tone and be coming in and be aggressive. I missed a few, but, overall, it's the right style of game for myself to be playing. Hopefully -- I won a few points at the net. Hopefully, if push comes to shove, more times than not I'll make the volley. No, it's not the best part of my game, but I manage up there, I like to say.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I'm trying to be. I mean, physically I've been struggling with my foot for the last four to six weeks, and so my preparation wasn't exactly the way I'd want it to go. But, you know, as a tennis player you deal with injuries all the time and you run into those kind of problems along the way. But I've done my best that I could do to get to this point, and now it's just time to play the matches and see how it all turns out.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, today was a big stepping stone. I was able to play the right type of tennis, the type of tennis that you need to play to be successful on grass. So it was a big, big step and a good match for me to play today. So I'm feeling a lot better today than I was yesterday, let's say, because I didn't think like I started well at all on Monday. So you can only give yourself chances the first week of a Slam, you know. You can lose and you don't have any chance. As long as I'm still in the tournament and improving in each match, that's all I can ask.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I like grass a lot. It's a surface, though, where you need to be confident to play well, or else doesn't go so well, if you let the ball play you. So if I can keep getting my confidence up and keep forcing the plays and being aggressive, it's a good surface for my game.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, I think I was a little bit more on my toes today, a little bit more positive with my energy, and a little bit more forceful with my shots. Hopefully, I can carry that on. That was definitely supposed to be like that (smiling).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, I feel like this year, out of probably the last six or seven, has probably been my worst year and I'm still 5 in the world, which is pretty funny. But I haven't, you know, just had the same consistent results that I've had in the past, or I'm used to. I've won a title, I've been in some finals. For me, it hasn't been an overall impressive year. But there's no question that those four players are right now at the very top of the game and the rest of us need to catch up or are trying to catch up. For a while there, I was one of those top players that people were always trying to strive to get to. So for me it's a little bit of a different situation and one that it's kind of different to feel like. But there's no question I'm going to have to have some big wins to get back on top.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I mean, I've worked hard, you know. Like I said a couple days ago, if someone told me at this point last year when I hadn't played in about eight months that I'd be back to 5 and, you know, still hanging in there, I would be ecstatic. So just it's about, you know, giving myself opportunities out there and trying to play well against the better players these days.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, I had knee surgery in January of last year and I had hurt my knee in November, waited a few weeks to see if it would heal, it didn't. Then I was out for quite a while.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I'm feeling good. I mean, my body's holding up. I have a problem with my left foot that I've carried over since Paris that will at some point this year need some surgery, but right now it's holding in there. It's an inflamed nerve called a neuroma. It's had a lot of doctor's care on it, so far it's been feeling really good and I've had no cause to worry about it yet.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not yet. They've told me that what they've done will probably give me like a good two months of a good foot, and it's been like three weeks, so...

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: They just -- for an inflamed nerve there's not a lot you can do except give it Cortizone once or twice. Then once that wears off, you have surgery to sever the nerve.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. Relishing that this year (smiling).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It hasn't changed my approach to the game. It's only been about two months, so, haven't played a lot of tournaments or anything. But it's been, obviously, a wonderful time in my life and it's been a different year - I mean, obviously for a lot of months where my focus was definitely on the wedding and having fun. It was a challenge to try and balance both. I think I was pretty successful this year. For me, it's almost like a relief that the wedding is now behind me and now I can just focus on the tennis hopefully for a few months. But my husband works, and so it's -- traveling, it's a little bit lonely sometimes.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. So, you know, I adjust my schedule now to where I'm not on the road all that many weeks in a row, and I have two priorities, and I do my best to balance it both.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: John.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I've been watching matches in the locker room. I think that people change the channel quite a bit, so you catch a game or two of certain matches, but nothing -- I haven't been studying any games. So I haven't seen Venus or Serena play yet. I saw a handful of Kim's points. I think at this point of the tournament it's too early to say if I've really been watching anybody, because it's been kind of sporadic.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I wouldn't call it "open." I think that Serena is still a highly regarded favorite, especially on this surface. You know, the French Open is probably her least favorite surface, and it wasn't a huge shock to me. I mean, I thought she was the frontrunner, but still, you know, clay was the one surface she was going to maybe struggle on against Henin. But I would think on the grass, her game is very much suited for it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I would think.