US OPEN

August 29, 2002

Lindsay Davenport

MODERATOR: Questions for Lindsay.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, I was in my hotel pretty much all day thinking that I probably wouldn't get a chance to finish just because of the schedule and the forecast was pretty ominous. But they called to say that they kind of switched my match with Andre. Now I'm really relieved that I got through it. At the time I didn't have a lot of time to get ready for it, but I'm happy we were able to fit it in today.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Last night, yeah. I mean, I'm not going to play if it starts raining on me. I didn't hesitate at all last night either time to stop. It is a very fine line out there. I don't think people realize how fast it does get slippery out there. All it takes is one wrong step, and I wasn't at this point, after all I've been through, going to risk that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I'm not worried about it at any other time. I'm worried about it when it's slippery or something like that. Of course, I was there when Mary Joe fell all those years ago against Venus. For me it's just not worth it. As far as running for balls, I never feel any hesitancy when the court is normal. It's a good sign, I guess.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I've never before. But if I slip now, I probably would.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Surprisingly not that much. I mean, it was only -- what I weigh now and what I weighed before is only eight pounds different. I think I built some more muscle, got rid of more body fat than anything else. In terms of scale, it doesn't really seem like that much.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I tried real hard to try and get stronger and at the same time get fitter, which, like I said, not worry about what the scale said, but try and lose body weight. I was able to do that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I felt a lot better when I first started working out. When I was able to start hitting balls again in April, I didn't want something else to go wrong. I wanted to try and use the time that I've never really had before to really try and get in good shape. When I was on crutches for eight weeks, I definitely went on a diet because I knew I would probably gain weight, if anything, when you can't exercise. I tried really hard there. Once I started playing again, I was able to keep it off and build some more muscle back.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not in my tennis game. In overall physical health, yeah. I find that I'm not getting as many nagging injuries as I used to get. I'm recovering a lot faster from matches. I haven't had too many really long matches, but I felt really good in third sets, and felt, like I said, no nagging injuries that have really bothered me. In terms of hitting the ball, it didn't help. But everything else, hopefully it adds a lot to my game.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I mean, Title IX was a huge step I think all those years ago to try and give obviously women equality in collegiate sports. I think the idea behind it is a great one. I don't like the sport when it forces other men's sports in colleges to shut down because they don't have the money to keep programs going. I don't think that's what it's for. You know, you definitely want women to get as many opportunities as they can in college sports. But, you know, I know in tennis, I think men either three and a half or four and a half, I'm not sure on that, the women it's eight or nine. It's a huge discrepancy. Obviously, football, there's much more. They probably could tweak the rule a little bit, but I think overall the idea was to promote women's sports. It's been great. In some areas, maybe it could be changed a little.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, many. I know all about it. Coach Leach is not a big fan of it. But I've defended the women as best I can. But he's tough (laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, it's frustrating to him when you run a men's collegiate team. Like I said, he only has three and a half or four and a half to work with. Guys are just dying to go to Stanford. Then like the women there get eight scholarships. They don't even play because only six singles players play. In that regard, he's not a big fan. But I think he's coming around in women's sports. He's becoming a bigger fan.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, a little bit surprising. But I don't think in her plan ever growing up, ever along her career path, did college ever really enter her focus. I don't know if that's the reason why or if she doesn't quite understand the movement that women's sports took all those years ago. I have no idea.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, many Fed Cups about that, as well.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Billie is the most pro-women's sports believer that could possibly exist, tries to drill into our brains how important it is for women's equal rights, for women to have opportunities to play, how when she was growing up that women's sports didn't exist. It was really wrong for a woman to want to be an athlete or a little girl to want to be an athlete, and how lucky we are, especially in our sport, that we can make a living from it. All these other sports, she's going nuts, you can be a pro-women's basketball player, or soccer player, all these opportunities she didn't have growing up. I have learned how lucky we are because of her and all the others in the '70s, we can make such a great living off this sport, how hopefully in another few years, my kids, other little girls, will want to be a pro athlete just like little boys.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, it's always a never-ending battle to try and grow it. Right now women's tennis is as hot as it can be. I think what can really help is when there's a group of players, more than just one or two, that other little girls can relate to, so you're not forced to choose between Steffi or Monica. Now you have one of the Williamses, Anna, myself, Monica, Jennifer. You can try and follow the path of a lot of different players. But, I mean, the main thing is to always try and give back. It gets very tiring always playing tournaments. Certainly we don't always put forth our best effort. For the most part, I think the girls are pretty aware of the importance of 20 years from now what's going to happen to women's tennis, maybe not as focused as Billie Jean was in the '70s, but hopefully we'll get back to that kind of feeling, we need to keep growing it for other people, as well.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have not received that yet, no. I'm sorry.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, the first eight weeks I was on crutches. I did a thing called aqua jogging, did it every day for eight weeks. I've said this before, but I was in a machine for eight hours a day. Every hour I spent in the pool, I could minus from the machine. I would some days try to spend two hours in the pool and some... I was always in there at least an hour a day. Some days I would go longer. Like I said, I was always doing arm weights, always lifting pretty regularly on that. I was trying to, you know, follow somewhat of a diet while I was on crutches just so I wouldn't gain weight more than anything else.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was The Zone Diet. I'm trying to follow the Zone principles in my life now (laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, kind of, sometimes. Other times eating out, just trying to follow the basic philosophies of it. People have criticisms of it, people follow it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I like it. It's fine.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Unfortunately for us, our most exciting time is in the worst probably time in the economy in years and years. It's tough to ask companies to invest all this money in sponsorship when they themselves are struggling, many declaring bankruptcy, many having employees being laid off. It is kind of an unfortunate time. But I think as the economy rebounds, I think we'll get more sponsors in there. Hopefully we keep making it exciting and keep getting more players up there. You know, hope that the cycle kind of goes in our favor next time.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, it was one of those things when I heard -- I think I heard about it in April, "Oh, this figures, the one year I probably won't qualify in my whole career, it's going to be in LA. " My number one goal this year is to try and make it back to the Staples Center and be able to play The Championships in LA. It's pretty much just been my only goal so far this year. It's going to be tough starting in the middle of July, but hopefully I can do it. I would love to be able to finish the year in my hometown, you know, obviously hope to do well. Right now I'm at least hoping to make it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I try to be a regular at Laker games. I wasn't when I was on crutches. But go to many games, go to a lot of King hockey games that are there. I know the arena. I think I'd have an advantage there (laughter). I just want to be able to get there.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Nike makes great clothes for me. I think I'll stick to what they make me. I'll try not to stick my two cents into it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. Obviously it's been documented that we had surgery two days apart with the same doctor in the same hospital, were in the same rehab together for about five or six days. She was actually a lot more down than I was I think at that time because that was her second surgery in less than a year. She was telling me, "You don't want to come back here, so do everything you can not to have another surgery." Then seeing her before we played actually, we were talking about it during the weeks and stuff, just how tough it is to come back, what a great, great doctor we both had, the same doctor. You know, it's exciting to see people do well when they come back from a little bit of adversity. Certainly we share that same feeling.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: He should. No, he's the greatest knee doctor in the world. I recommend anyone with any knee problem to go there. I mean, he's a great, great man.