AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2001

Lindsay Davenport

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Lindsay.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think necessarily as the defending champion but just the pressure that the competition is getting tougher and tougher every year and that I want to sustain the level that I have been playing at for the last few years. Just the desire to do well here. Like I said, it seems that every year the strength is getting tougher and tougher in women's tennis and the depth as well. So I think maybe just put more pressure on myself to do as well as I think I can do and play as well as I want to.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I think it is a tough match. It is funny, for so many years I was kind of the youngest player around; now at 24 it seems like I am one of the older players around. The young girls coming up are very good. They are very fiery, they play a very hard-hitting game. They go for shots, and Kim and I the last two times we played last fall two tough two tough three-set matches and I don't expect anything different.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It is definitely slower than last year. Last year was probably one of the fastest hard courts I have ever played on. So I think actually the tennis is probably a lot better this year, a lot more fun to watch. But it is not slow. It is still relatively quick.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think that sometimes on the court I have a tendency to get a little down on myself because I am a little bit of a perfectionist, but I think off the court I am fairly levelheaded and can kind of separate hitting forehands and what is really important. And obviously I want to play well and I work very hard to try and give myself the best chance to play well. But when the match is over, and the tennis is done, I think I am pretty good about leaving it off the court and staying relaxed about it all.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was a lot better. I am a lot happier with the way I played and even some of the balls I missed, you can tell when you are hitting the ball clean and hitting it well even though you might not win every point, and today I really felt like I was timing the ball a lot better, hitting it out in front and had a lot more power and a lot more depth and all that kind of good stuff that I have been lacking the last couple of matches. So I was happy to see that back.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It didn't worry me in terms of I -- you know, like I said a couple days ago, it is two weeks and you have a lot of time to work into a tournament and I kind of like the quote that I read Pete Sampras say that you can't win a Grand Slam the first week; you can only lose it. And I think that is a pretty good analogy that where if you can get through and find your game as the tournament goes on you have just as good a chance as if you play great tennis from round one. So that is kind of the attitude that I believe.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I just got so many blisters that I don't know what has happened. I got my third one today in a different spot so I don't know, I think every time I get one I try and adjust the racket and get a different one. So far it hasn't really affected me, but hopefully they can stop coming.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have never had them before, so I don't really know what to make of it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, the French. The one major I don't have and the one that would probably be a miracle if I did win it. So I will just say the French. (Laughs).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: (Laughs) No, I don't know, she must have played very well. I remember when I played her at the US Open she won 0 and 0 the round before, so no, I think that Kim obviously has been playing very well here and must have played well today. Obviously I didn't see any of it as we played at the same time. But maybe I will be a little bit more tired but I don't think so.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I have, and on Saturday I also played three sets in the Finals of Sydney. But I think the days have passed. I think today now I was done at noon and have 'til Sunday so I think physically there is no injuries and I think I will be able to recover.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: (Laughs) Of course. You have to, right? (Laughs).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I am half joking when I say it, but I mean, it is definitely not my strong suit. Definitely as soon as I step on clay for the first day I am like, oh, no, just going to be a long month. But I mean, I look at the way Mary Pierce played last year and she is not you know a clay court genius by any means and she grew up on it a little bit more, but she just went for winners, hit her shots and was inside the baseline. If I am going to win it, that is how it is going to have to be. But it was just amazing how many girls -- they are much better on it, like kind of like the men's tennis they are just harder to beat on the clay.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh been a year, so -- we will see when I start again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: There is no doubt that whenever top player goes out against a certain player, players can be intimidated. The Williams are a lot more kind of brash and in your face and probably intimidate a lot more players than your average top player. But I don't think that is really including the Top-15. I think everyone is pretty much not phased by what they bring to the court. Obviously you know you are dealing with a very good tennis player and very athletic and hard hitting, but I don't think that the top players necessarily let them get inside our heads.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Wow. Well, probably like in a tennis match or --.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I remember feeling pretty intimidated going out to play the Wimbledon final against Steffi. I mean,, just knowing how good she was on grass, but being intimidated I don't necessarily see as always a bad thing, but there is times when you go out there that if I had to play one of those Spanish guys on clay, I don't know if I would show up. (Laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Coming in here everyday after a match. No. (Laughs) I don't know, I think whenever you are in a position where I am a little bit more shy, let's say, than the average person when you are dealing with a lot of media it could be a little bit overwhelming for myself sometimes.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, you get used to it as time goes on, but, you know, you never know what comes up or what you guys might ask.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, actually I am okay with. That I can handling making speeches because about the few times we do is when the Finals are over if you have won, so, you love to make those.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It is not as tough for me, I think naturally I kind of know what I like and what I like to do off the court and how much of the tennis I want to bring into my private life which is not a whole lot. So for me it is really about what I am used to, what I like, and what I will tolerate, but I think for other players, you have to take -- takes a few years to figure out the fine line between how much of tennis your life becomes and how much you make it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well this is my 9th time here so hopefully I have done it. I have been gambling a little bit so probably when the tournament is over if I have won I will put a lot more money down. (Laughs).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No just playing roulette, that is about it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Gosh, you know, coming in I thought Pete would be a great bet, but it seems like, you know, the last couple of matches have been really long and I think in men's tennis it is really hard to come back from three out of five set matches day-in/day-out, but I mean, I always like to go with Pete or Andre. Seems like the safest bet there can be.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: The other night after I beat Dokic I put $500 down and won on red. So that was good. Then last night I put $200 down and we will see what I do tonight. I don't know.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I like it. Unfortunately sometimes, you know, people -- it becomes a little bit of a scene with the people there, so -- but it is fun, I think my coach likes to do it and play black jack and it is fun to go do it, but it can become a little bit of a zoo in the casino when it is crowded.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't see a problem with it. I think that the designers are trying to come up with kind of racier clothes, more exciting clothes to draw attention to what the girls are wearing out there. I don't real think there is a huge problem with it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, I would look at it what someone is wearing but I am not like, oh, I wonder what she is wearing this week. When I see it I will look. I am pretty -- I just wear what I am given and I think most of the other players it is the same. You have a little bit of a say but I don't think you have an overwhelming say about what you want to wear or don't wear.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: That is when I put my foot down I say I will take the conservative outfit Nike comes out with and we will let the other girls wear what they want.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It depends how you look at it because you look at the Grand Slams and especially maybe the US Open and some of the others, they make so much money and yeah, it looks great when the winner gets 750,000 in the US Open, but you know, I guarantee you the tournaments is making hundreds of millions on the players. So, you know, it is tough. Here it is -- obviously we get paid the least of all the Grand Slams, and -- but the same amount of points, so, it is tough. I think tennis is one of the few sports where you have to go out and earn your money. We are not guaranteed to make millions and millions in prize money even though the year before in some cases I think that the prize money in the Grand Slams could go up. I don't think that is outrageous. Although, it sounds like it when the average person reads it in the paper. But you have got to look at how much money TV is putting in, how much spectators are coming in and paying for things and it is pretty much all because of the players.