US OPEN

September 4, 2000

Lindsay Davenport

THE MODERATOR: First question for Lindsay.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, what I meant is I think it's just difficult conditions for anybody to play in. I mean you're not going to hit a lot of aces, you're not going to -- it's just -- you have to play a different type of game. And for me tonight, I was trying to hit just a lot of first serves in and just play smart in the wind, keep a lot of balls in with the wind and, you know -- against the wind, and hit them hard. But, you know, they're gonna stay in. Be a little bit more aggressive but a little bit more conservative. It worked well. She adapted a little bit better in the second set. A few close games I was able to pull out to be able to win 6-4.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, yeah. I played high school tennis for two years, and I would never win 6-0. I would always win 6-1. You know, I never thought that was, you know, right to win 6-0 against girls that were just, you know, learning to play. They called me that more sarcastic because I went through it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, obviously it's different in a Round of 16 in a Grand Slam. But I mean I was really happy I got off to such a great start. Couple games didn't play so well in the second set, but I'm happy with the way it went.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I mean it was pretty funny. I don't know if I should say this, but the other day when I was playing Gala Leon Garcia, I was up 6-0, 3-0 with two breaks, I was thinking, "Okay, when am I going to give her a game." I was trying to decide. Then at 4-0, I got broken right away. I was never at the point of winning 0 -0, and I just don't think it helps matters. I don't know.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I was playing really well. I was very confident. I would never do that if I was up by -- I mean, you know, it's just -- I don't know, maybe it's wrong.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I'm playing well. Playing consistent, more consistent than I have been the last few months. That's good. Beating some good players a lot easier than I have in the last few months. But a tough match coming up, different type of player than I've played. Clijsters hits hard, but Serena serves well, hits hard. And on fast courts it's difficult. Another thing is now we have to wait and see what the weather's like then. I think that could be a big difference if it's calm or windy. But I mean I'm happy with the way I've played so far, and hopefully I can keep it going.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I mean the last few times I lost two really close three-set matches, here in the semis last year and a couple weeks ago in LA. It just seems like both of those matches I was never able to come up on the big points and she was. And, you know, it's been so close that I felt like both matches could have gone either way, and they both went her way, so...

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean she goes for it. And, you know, if you step back just an inch against her, you know, she has a short ball, she puts it away when she's not missing those balls, at least against me on these big points when I played her. It's great, without a lot of experience, without playing a lot of matches, I probably played five times, six times as many matches as she's played, and she's handled it very well. It's tough to come out and win a Grand Slam like she did last year, came out, won her first Grand Slam out of nowhere. It's very tough to do.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I didn't. I watched the two games on TV in the early first. It didn't look like great tennis early on, so I went out to lunch. When I came back it was 3-0 in the second.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I mean I think the same thing, when I watched Venus play Shaughnessy the other night. If you don't win that, they get on a roll. It wasn't surprising. I found out when I got here how close the first set actually was. You know, if you're a player like that, not a very top player, you really have to win those close sets because they might get on a roll like that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I mean the competition's gotten a lot higher in all aspects of the game. I mean a couple years ago Martina won I think like 11 tournaments and forced everybody else to get better. Now Venus, by winning all these matches in a row, is forcing everyone to try and beat her here. And Serena, the same last fall when she won the Open. I think everybody's just doing a lot for women's tennis, trying to get it better and better. And the better all the top players can play, the closer the matches and the more the fans like it and the better it is for everybody.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I think the Williamses are, especially in women's tennis, the first players that are that aggressive, hit the ball hard and are such great movers. Everyone's who's big hitters like Mary, myself, Monica, none of us can move nearly as well as the Williamses. For me, no, I'm not trying to get stronger, build muscle, I just try to get quicker. That's basically, if you're in position for the shots and you can handle them, it's gonna help your game a lot more. I don't know what the other players are doing. I think Martina is trying to get stronger so she can hit the ball harder. For me, I'm just worried about mobility.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: That's it, yeah. Obviously you still work on your game, but that's the number one thing.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: She does everything well. She serves well, hits the ball hard, hits the ball deep. It's hard to put -- play an aggressive game against a ball that's coming that hard. You really have to be in position and be timing the ball very well. And on quick courts, you know, it's very tough to control a ball that's coming at that high a pace. And, again, when someone has a good serve, it's hard to get off to the point -- get off to a good start on the point because, you know, if you're serving well on a quick court, it's very hard for a returner. So, you know, I have to serve well. I have to try and, you know, keep the balls deep and attack and do everything that I always try and do. But I just have to do it at a level higher than normal.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I don't lose 2-0, I don't get killed. Sometimes it's harder to lose the heart-breaking ones. But it's knowing that you had every chance in the world to win, is a lot better losing the match like that than knowing that you had no chance at all.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, you have to be very up for it. You have to, you know, that is what we play for, is to play the top four or five best players. That's where you get most excited. I think most of us have a pretty good feeling that whoever wins that match, there's an easier match maybe in the semifinals; that this match is a really tough one to get through. And you just got to come out strong. And hopefully, you know, the crowd is into it. And I don't know when the match will be, night or day, but hopefully we can both play at a high level so it is good tennis. I thought last night's match might have been a little better with Seles and Capriati, it didn't live up to the hype they gave it. Hopefully we can.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I sleep way better on the road than at home. I have no idea why.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I mean you've got to take what's given to you. Obviously I would probably rather play, you know, Dementieva or who - I don't really know who else is left. I know that's in the top. You have to take what's given to you. And, you know, Serena, at the time, is ranked six or something. So that's fair game. So, you know, it's gonna be a tough one to get through.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was pretty good at getting over that loss. It was tough, but, you know, I mean a lot of times if I felt I played well and just missed one or two opportunities, I'm okay with it. And it was -- it's probably better to see that person go on and win. You rather lose to the winner than to the person who the next day doesn't play very well. It was good that she continued to play well. But, you know, you like to see the tide turn eventually. I lost a few really close ones and, you know, hopefully one of these days I can come through them.

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