US OPEN

August 29, 2000

Lindsay Davenport

MODERATOR: Questions for Lindsay.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It felt really good. Started feeling a lot better on about Thursday of last week. I was a little worried at the beginning of last week. Once the end of the week came, it felt much better. I don't feel it anymore. Hopefully it won't be a problem.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. The first day I practiced out on that court, it was either Thursday or Friday. As soon as I step on that court, I really love that court. I think the two times I've lost, I lost both times to the girls that went on to win it. Felt like I played some of my best matches on that court. It's a quick court, gets a little breezy. I've always felt like I played really well out there. Happy to get out there today and get it over with quickly.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think that's tough. Sometimes the way the women's tour does the seeding, doesn't seem like it's all that fair. It's completely out of a hat. If you're 2 or 1, you can get 5 or the 9 player. Somehow you think that you've worked so hard, maybe you should get a little bit of a reprieve there. That's the way draws go. It can work in your favor or against your favor. With tough draws, if you pull through it, it's make you a stronger player, a stronger person. I haven't looked obviously too far ahead. I know who is in the sections, but it's a long way off. I have a tough match in the second round, so I'm thinking about that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: If you're playing well, it doesn't matter who you play. If a player is playing well and they're hitting their shots, they're going to win. If you're not playing that well, you struggle sometimes, you have longer matches, you kind of waste your energy in the beginning, sometimes that can turn out to hurt you. Today I played well, and I feel like if I keep playing the way I did today and strike the ball like I have been, hopefully it won't be a problem whoever I play.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think with Venus, she serves obviously very hard. She probably has the hardest serve. I don't necessarily think she has the best serve in women's tennis. It's definitely hard. Whenever you have serves coming at you at 115, you're obviously not going to get a good hit to start the point off.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, it's obviously one of the best. I didn't mean it like it wasn't. I think placement is sometimes more important. If a serve comes at you at 115, all you have to do is stick your racquet out. If it's sliding away from you or if it's hitting the lines, even at a slower pace, you're really not going to get that serve back. I think she's been working on that a lot more, making sure you don't hit it so hard, but where you're hitting it to where your opponent can't get to it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, obviously it's a very good serve. I mean, she's done very well. I think with anybody's serve, you get a much better chance to hit their second serve.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, it has. It's been a very challenging year mentally, a year that's been difficult in that aspect. Did start the year great. You know, it's unfortunate the middle of the year was lost a little bit to injuries, a lot of days where I couldn't practice, just trying to get better. But that's the way it goes in any sport. I've played eight years or whatever, and haven't had major injuries which required surgery or sitting out for months and months. I have to look back that I'm pretty lucky that only minor injuries have hurt my career. But, yeah, I mean, doing well here and possibly winning two Slams in one year would obviously make it a much better year. But, you know, just looking now to try to come back and stay healthy and win tournaments. I only have two titles this year, which isn't a lot - used to having a few more. I'm going to work on that for the rest of the year.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think both. I think you get used to playing not at 100%, and sometimes that affects your game. I was so excited the other day when I realized I was going to be able to play 100% with no pain, being able to give it all I got. The last Grand Slams, it hasn't been that way. I think at the same time once you've been through a few injuries, maybe you appreciate it a little bit more, you're a little bit more excited to get back out there. At the same time, it does keep wearing on you when something else comes up, then something else hurts. It can get a little bit tiring.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was playing a match in Montreal. The outside of my foot, I kind of rolled over on it, not the ankle, but the foot part, and sprained my foot. One of those things that probably never happens in your career, and it happened to me right when I felt like I was playing well again. I had to take about six days off, got it better. The first few days I hit, it was pretty sore. Kind of cleared up.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Like on Thursday, it was feeling much better. I think by Saturday, when I was playing, I played a lot on Saturday, it felt much, much better.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: The fifth metatarsal. Didn't know that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I would say probably around 70%.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: If I'm healthy and playing well, definitely. At the same time, you know, Mary Pierce has always kind of been there also, but she's been hurt, too. She has the power that can do it also. But, yeah, like I said, if I can stay healthy and get through this tournament, build some momentum, winning the first few rounds, obviously I feel much better about playing them. You know, they're both obviously playing very well. It's going to take a lot to stop them.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think actually the fast courts here help Martina. I think it helps her serve a lot. Maybe a little bit easier for her to hold serve. You know, the few times I've seen her play, the last few times I've seen her play them, I don't think she was as aggressive as maybe she needed to be. If you look back, in my mind, she was always more aggressive than she has played this year. I think she knows that. When I hear her talk, she's talking about trying to get more power, be more aggressive. I think if she keeps working on that, that will help her chances a lot.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Is this Martina?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, it's a good -- it's good to have different options to fall back on and be able to mix it up. Coming to net is obviously one way of being aggressive. I mean, if any player can stay at the baseline and come in and win points, that's going to help their cause a lot. It's a little bit easier to come in against her opponent in the first round than it is to come in against someone who hits the ball hard, moves well, hits the ball deep.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think she does everything very, very well.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's surprising how being healthy actually makes your confidence go up a lot. I feel very good. Like I said, in the summer in LA, I thought I was playing well, lost a close match to Serena in Canada, I was playing well until my foot came up. Coming into here, I haven't felt like I lost my timing. Going into Wimbledon, I didn't feel like I was timing the ball well and I wasn't hitting the ball cleanly. In terms of how I'm hitting the ball is very good right now. Like I said, playing a match today, I feel a lot better about that, winning easily. Thursday will be a good test in I play Clijsters, that's a tough match, see how I respond to that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was a difficult situation. From what the players have heard, even what Billie said, she always said, "Well, you know, my decision is easy because I'm going off the rankings." I think that's when the problem started. Lisa thought that was the way it was going to be. After the Williams won Wimbledon, I kind of knew, Uh-oh, there's going to be a problem. How can you not pick the Williams sisters? They've won three of the last five Grand Slams, are a great doubles team. Unfortunately, I think Billie kind of put herself into a corner by saying earlier she was going to go off the rankings. I do think that Lisa was misled, it was unfortunate, they should have said in the beginning, "There is no criteria for the doubles; we're going to go with the best team, that's that." A lot of problems would have been avoided. There's no right answer because the United States has great players. Lisa deserves a spot on the team. Serena obviously deserves a spot on the team. Whoever you tell no, it's not really fair or right.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Personally, I don't think so. Billie would have to answer that. I think it came down more to how do you tell the team that has won three the last five Grand Slams that they're not the best team. That's very difficult.

End of FastScripts….