PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 12, 2003

Lindsay Davenport

MODERATOR: Questions for Lindsay.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was. I mean, you know, especially with every other day off anyways, this isn't exactly the best tournament to get a default in. I was looking forward to playing, and I feel like right now in order for me to get better and to improve on the confidence and improve on my game, I need to be out there playing matches, playing the top players. I was looking forward to today quite a bit, was obviously disappointed when I heard.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, no, I warmed up from about 9:30 to 10:30, 9:45. I came in the locker room and was told right after I finished the warm-up. I did see her right at 11. She looked terrible, sounded terrible. There's no question that she was really sick. You know, just one of those things. I don't know. What do you do about it?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. Like I said, you want to play the top players. It's exciting to play them. We've played a lot of tough matches before. This is what I need right now. Looking at the draw, I felt like I had the toughest draw going in with all the matches. I felt like if I could come through the draw, I would have a lot of confidence, feel really great. It's definitely disappointing.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I go by the philosophy of both. Having my knee surgery, having my ranking fall, I was at the top for five or six years. Obviously, because I couldn't play, my ranking fell down. I've looked at it as a challenge to get back to the top. Slowly I'm working my way back up there again. So that's been a good challenge and a lot of incentive to try to get back. I think I belong in the Top 4, Top 5. Like I said, I'm slowly making progress getting back there with good tournament results. And I look at it the other way, you know, like I've been there, I've done that. You know, it's kind of the other girls' turns to try to break through and win Slams, win big tournaments. I'm out here trying to get my game back but really with nothing more to prove.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know if intimidating is the right word, but it definitely makes the challenge a lot more difficult. You know, Venus and Serena, I've said this all along, have definitely played at a level above anyone else for the last 12, 18 months. The challenge of getting back to the top is going to be made very difficult because there's not only Serena, there's Venus, as well. You know, there's not much you can do. You can't really limit the fact that they're tremendous athletes and are the two best players in the world. I mean, all I can do is worry about my own game and, you know, going through my hurdles, not really worry about everyone else and what they're doing.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I've kind of learned not to do that anymore. I never thought in 2001 I would come close to No. 1 until the last few weeks of the year. Right now, there's no question, Serena has a huge lead, huge hold on No. 1. The only way you're going to get to No. 1 now is to come through at Grand Slams. I would concentrate my efforts more on winning a Grand Slam and not worry about the ranking so much. I would love to try and win one again. The ranking, it's not really an issue of mine. I don't know if I can also physically play enough tournaments with the great results that are needed if you play fewer tournaments to get back to 1 or 2.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I don't know. I mean, I don't particularly enjoy spending many weeks abroad in Europe before the French Open, before Wimbledon. I kind of like to concentrate my efforts on the summer events, all the ones in the States, on a surface that is my favorite. I am going to try and play Charleston, Amelia Island this year. I haven't played those in many years. I actually have really enjoyed those tournaments. But as far as being over in Europe, no; six or seven weeks before the French, that's not going to happen.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think it's unattainable. But I don't think it's going to happen if I'm away from home in Europe, playing the second week of Roland Garros. I do play well there, it's fast clay. It's more suitable to my game than some of the heavier clay court tournaments in Europe. I think for myself to play well at Roland Garros, I also have to be fresh, have to be excited. I just don't do well many weeks away. I mean, it's just a fact. You know, some people look at it like, "She's not really putting her best effort." I look at it the opposite, that my best effort in Paris is going to be fresh, excited, hungry to play.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, I've played Team Tennis I think this is going to be my sixth season, competing in some capacity. I've done everything from playing the full season to playing last year only maybe two matches coming back from knee surgery. So I've always enjoyed playing. It hasn't been a question of that. I've done it so many times because I've really enjoyed it. I'm lucky enough this year to have a team in Newport Beach. I'm able to stay at home and play those matches. It makes it even better. I've always loved playing it. It's a lot of fun with the guys there. I actually have more fun when you're traveling on the road and you really do have to work together more as a team. But to play a full schedule is brutal, it's very tough on the players.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think he's ever played water polo. He doesn't swim well. I would be absolutely floored if he came back and told me he ever played water polo. He played volleyball and basketball for many, many, many years. He's 6'8". I think that gave him an edge on that. He was in the Olympics in volleyball in '68 in Mexico. That was great. You know, as far as athleticism, it would have helped if I could have seen him in that capacity. I never had the chance to. But, no, certainly I get some very good genes from my parents and from my family. I do my best with what I've got.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: My mom is president of the Southern California Volleyball Association, which is the equivalent of the Southern California Tennis Association. She's on the board of directors for the USVBA, somewhat the equivalent of the USTA, they have nowhere near the funding of the USTA. It's amazing what I see my mom go through, from parents yelling, coaches upset at players not getting tournaments, not being eligible, teams not getting their entry forms in. What she goes through is truly amazing. I definitely try and look at organization of a sport and organization of tournaments with a much different light when I see her just working 12 hours a day trying to get it organized.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yes.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, I don't know. I think I played her in a stretch there for a few years where she wasn't at the level that she has been at since she won the Australian Open in I think 2001. But I do have a good record against her. I lost that match at the Australian Open the one year where I was not happy about. I think the last time I played her was maybe in Scottsdale that year or maybe indoors somewhere. I don't even remember. You know, I have a good record against her. For me it's important to try and attack her serve. I don't know, I haven't watched her play here yet, but a lot of times her game gets very shaky if her serve gets shaky. You've got to serve well and try and hold your serve. That puts more pressure on her serve. A lot of times you'll field more double-faults from her. Like I said, we haven't played too many times when she's been at the top, so it's a bit of a different Jennifer than when I was playing her in '97 and '98.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I've been thinking about it more as it's been getting closer and closer. But, gosh, it still seems so far away. I think it's still 18 months off. I would like to go again. I don't know obviously what the state of the world is going to be at that time, the state of tennis, and even the rankings, how the team is chosen next year. Even in Sydney I had a tremendous time, even though I had a stress fracture in my foot and had to pull out. It's still an amazing event to be a part of. It would be amazing to be able to participate in three straight Olympics. I have hopes of going. Again, I don't know. It's too far right now to say.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was the stepping stone for sure. For me it was a huge, huge win. It was very gratifying, especially with my dad there, as he hardly comes to any matches. My whole family was there. I worked very hard to get confidence throughout the two weeks there with Billie Jean and Robert and everyone else that was there. I kind of surprised myself by pulling through this. It certainly set the stage for what would happen the next few years.