AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2001

Lindsay Davenport

THE MODERATOR: First question for Lindsay, please.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: There's so many things kind of going around the match let alone being a Grand Slam and myself trying to, in a sense, defend it or do well again. So it was tough, it's always tough I think to start off against a really good opponent in the first round. I typically like to work my way into a tournament. It's tough. You know, getting here late from Sydney, starting off against a great opponent in really unusual circumstances definitely made it a bit more challenging than normal matches.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I mean, I think she's a great girl. She's always been really nice, and I think she has a great future, you know, as tennis players you try and forget everything that surrounds everything when you're playing a match. As soon as it's over, I think she might have some difficult days ahead. I wish her the best.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was funny, obviously the Australians take a little bit of offense to her not representing them. I think during the match they were pretty supportive of her. It wasn't so partisan while we were playing points to make it unbearable. I think if she had won, they probably would have really cheered her as she walked off the court. It's a little bit of a weird situation there. I don't think they were so bad during the match.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I didn't hear that one. Yeah, I mean, it's tough circumstances for fans also because I think that they've been behind her for a number of years and maybe they don't quite understand what's going on and her decision. So of course they're going to take a little bit of offense to what's happened.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I just mean the decision to represent a different country while playing in Australia is probably going to make it a little difficult on her if she's here the next few days. I think that the fans want her to stay Australian, and probably the media maybe won't leave her alone in the next few days.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, it might be one of those things where, you know, I thought coming out here and it being a night match and having a lot of buzz and atmosphere in the crowd she was going to play quite well. It seems that she plays her best tennis maybe on a bigger stage than on the side courts. So I was expecting her to play well, and you know, it seemed like she handled everything very well right up until the end of the match.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, thank God. It pulled me through. I had a lot of aces, to hold -- to go up 4-2 and to hold to go up 5-3, that really pulled me through there. Off the ground, she was hitting the balls very hard and very deep. It was hard for me to step into a ball and dictate the point. At the end there, the serve is what really won the third set for me.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Sometimes I thought there was nothing I could do. It seems like maybe I didn't get enough depth on the ball sometimes but a couple times when I did she would hit it up the line really hard. So it was just a case where I was, you know, trying to do the best I can and keep playing the game I play and fortunately my serve got a lot better at the end. I think that, like I said, was really the big difference.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I hope so. I think the more big matches you play - and it seems like I have played a lot of matches with some bizarre circumstances - you get more accustomed to the situation. And, again, the more experience you get playing in front of lots of people and in important matches, it always helps.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's one of those things, I had a break, couple break points, didn't break. One of those things where, you know, I knew if I kept playing like that I would probably not win. Luckily the first game of the second set I got the break and was able to hold it all the way through to win that set, and in the third set I thought I had the little bit of the momentum from winning the second set. Even though I was up a break and then got broken, got up a break again right away. Like I said, the serve really improved to help me hold it together.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I refuse to comment on what he might do. I have no idea. I don't know his thinking at all. (Laughter.)

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think so. I mean, just with everybody that I think works around a player, the most important thing and I'm very lucky to have a great family and great people around me and don't really have to deal with all this stuff.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think she's great. From what I know, she's 17, is that right, 17 and I mean she's going to be great. And unfortunately, there's probably a lot of pressure for her to be great right now and, you know, a lot of players it takes maybe 18, 19, 20, who knows. But she's definitely going to be in the top, I would say, ten and probably maybe not this year, maybe two years, I couldn't tell you. But she does everything well. She serves well and hits her groundies great. Right now that's really the big thing to do in women's tennis.