TMS - THE ERICSSON OPEN

March 24, 2001

Lindsay Davenport

THE MODERATOR: First question for Lindsay, please.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: (Laughing.)

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. It was fine. I mean, wasn't that bad out there today.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think we're pretty close in age, but I turned pro at 16 and never really played with her. I was on the national team. She was like the group right behind me.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Never played with her. Practiced with her a couple of times. I think I've played her once many years ago. So I'm not really up-to-date on either of them.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. Send the coach out there.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think this time of year it's more of just trying to stay, you know, in the rhythm, in the groove. We've played a lot of matches so far already, third tournament in a row. But really, you know, it doesn't change that much. It seems like girls are hitting them harder and more accurate. You keep on practicing that, and the serve. Just trying to keep that a weapon. And, you know, I mean my game's not going to alter dramatically, so I got to just try to keep doing what I do well even better and better.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, it felt really good out there. And, yeah, it's hard to gauge where your game's at after a day like today, but hopefully, you know, just try and keep moving forward.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I would say so. I would say -- I mean, everybody, we all know what each other does well and if someone's playing really well that day obviously that's why they're at the top. They're going to be hard to beat. But I think, you know, everybody's still trying to change little things. But I would say it's really who, you know, is playing well that day and hitting good shots and really not making the errors. That's really what it comes down to.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think it would be nice. I mean, it is, it's one of the few I haven't won, and I've done okay here but never good. Finals and two semis are not, in ten years, that's not like great results. But, yeah, I mean it was something a few years ago that I was like, "Okay, I've got to get this done." Now I'm like, "If it happens, it happens." It's very tough coming from California. Indian Wells is obviously a big tournament, different conditions coming here. But, you know, any hardcourt tournament I feel is -- I'm a favor for, and is a benefit to me to be on this surface. It's the last hardcourt tournament for a long time, so I'll give it my best shot.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It works both ways, draws. If you have a tough draw, you come through, you're more confident in the latter rounds. Sometimes you can be tired when you get there or you don't make it. But still, you know, in the round of 16 I have either Testud or Raymond if I win, that's not easy. So, you know, it works both ways. You get both draws. One week you get a good draw, next week a bad one. You just have to play it out and see who's left when you get to that round. It's useless to look forward. Last year I was in the same position and I had Serena and Capriati and all these people in the top half, I ended up playing Testud in the semis. You never know who makes it through. It's absolutely useless to try and worry about it now, I found out.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I've played Lisa Raymond five out of seven of the last tournaments, possibly play her again. That's my one complaint, I'm sick of seeing her.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, it's great, next I'll play Dechy. It gets more exciting to play different players.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's helped me, I think, tremendously off the court and just being able to not worry about a lot of distractions and try just to play my matches and get out of here and not worry about a lot of the other stuff that goes on. And it's great. I mean, I think in my career I've had a very solid career, very successful career and I have no complaints about how it's gone. You know, right now women's tennis has never been so exciting because of the girls that love to be out there in the spotlight and get a lot of publicity. They've really made the sport grow tremendously.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's a little bit of a separate issue because there's the two different Tours that do run the tournament here, where the Grand Slams are separate. But, you know, we've really been making steps forward into progress. The Australian Open this year was a huge step to go back to equality after taking it away from us, and I think it's important to, you know, just worry about our own Tour, trying to get our prize money up at all our Tier Is and hopefully one day we can be as strong as the men in that department.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not that I'm aware of. You know, I know in our Tour that last year we had like a 10 percent prize money increase for the Tier Is and Tier IIs. That's a step in the right direction. That's what I've been focused on. I don't know about the combined events, but just hoping our overall percentage of prize money goes up.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think it's great. Essentially last year we played a night match because we had about an hour and a half rain delay. Come in, it was very exciting. You know, the USTA, I guess, gets two sessions out of a Saturday ticket which is probably their leading reason. But I think it's great to be able to, you know, have a -- I think the fans will be really excited when they come in the stadium not maybe tired after two men's matches. I think they'll be really up for an exciting women's final. We'll see how it works out, but I think it will be great.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: A little birdie told me it was in the works. I agreed. They asked me my opinion, I thought it would be a good idea to at least try. Basically we did it last year, and see what happens.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was. It's great for the average tennis fan. But over the years they've moved the women's final around and, you know, at the end of a day, sometimes although the last years we had some great players in the finals, it can get lost in the mix if there was a five-hour match, maybe people leave. Maybe they've been there since eleven, two long matches, maybe they don't really want to stick around at the end of the day.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not since I've been there. I've come home and the clocks have been blinking but not when I was there. It's happened though.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. Hasn't been.