TMS - THE ERICSSON OPEN

March 30, 2000

Lindsay Davenport

WTA: Questions.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I wasn't feeling too great. Give me a few minutes (laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Up a set and 2-Love, it's something that you don't want to go through. You know, I let her back in the match early in the second set, giving up my serve after I was up 40-Love. From there she seemed to play a lot better and I seemed to go down a level. It was a tough match. It's one of those where you look back and you're so happy you were able to grind it out. I was able to come back. But I've got to remember that I was up and not let that happen again if that comes again on Saturday.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It feels tiring right now. You know, I haven't had a long match in quite a while, especially at 12 a.m., i'm not used to that. It's great. You know, I knew going into this match that that would happen if I won, so it was an added bonus to achieve that goal and also get to the finals here. But, you know, to me, I've always said this all along, it would mean more to me to win this tournament than to be No. 1.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Never won it before, one of the few hard court tournaments I haven't won. You don't want to leave a tournament losing. I have a very good record once I get to finals. I'll try to keep that going.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's weird because, you know, I've had this before in Germany, a few years ago maybe when I was becoming No. 1. It wasn't something that made me play worse, but it was -- it was in my mind obviously. I think it actually maybe helped me in the third. I think in the third set tiebreaker I was more calm than the second set tiebreak. It was on my mind, so I don't know, maybe it made me miss a few. I don't know.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, I think it was both. I think it was relief that I pulled that match out in the end, after having a lot of chances, after coming back. I think it was elation that I was back to No. 1. It's much more exhilarating to win 7-6 in the third and get there than to win 0-0 and get there.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I had to turn it at about 8-0. It didn't look like it was so good for Monica. I felt bad for her. Very surprised.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, my foot was starting to hurt me about 4-3, 4-All in the third, right on top of my left foot. I don't know what it is yet. It's kind of hard to tell right after a match. I'm going to do some tests in the morning and see what happened. I'm hoping it was just bruised maybe from a long night. I'm not sure now though.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, no, I haven't had it before.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Left, yeah, on the top.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, they played like I think 80 or 90 times. I'm not exactly sure how many times. We've only played in our career I think about 20 times. It's always exciting because we're only going to meet in the finals when we're ranked 1 and 2. We've both been getting there every tournament, except when Martina lost in Sydney. That was a little bit shocking. You always get a different kind of excitement when you play somebody in the finals. There's a different atmosphere in the stadium, a different nervousness that goes through you. We both probably play well in finals. Myself, I've played very well the last few times I've played her. You get excited to go out and have an opportunity to win a tournament. I'm looking forward to it again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's definitely more excitement. You know if you win that, you can't get a better feeling than beating Martina or the No. 1 player, whatever she is at that time. Also knowing that it's going to be a tough match, you're going to have to play well to win. There's a certain amount of respect that even if you lose, you know she's going to have to play well to win it and there's no shame in losing to her. You've got positives on both sides. It definitely feels different, I think.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think the last few times, you know, I'm able to overpower her. I think last week it got to the point in Indian Wells where even though she was up, once I got the break back, she kind of folded in a way. I don't know. She just doesn't like to play me. I don't know why. I just frustrate her, I guess. You'd have to ask her, I guess.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's a lot different. Indian Wells is really light air in the desert. The balls go through the air a lot faster. Here the humidity slows it down a lot. Just a lot more windy here, although it wasn't tonight. I think those conditions favor her more than myself. Indian Wells was ideal, and Australia was ideal for myself. Here, the ball will definitely travel slower.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I mean, I've won a lot of matches in a row now, have only lost once in a very long time. I feel like when I go out there, you know, someone's going to have to do something extraordinary to beat me. At the same time, going out against Martina, I know I'm going to have to do something extraordinary to win also. Hopefully on Saturday, thank God I have tomorrow off to rest and heal, a late final on Saturday, hopefully I'll be a hundred percent by then, feel ready to go after another title.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's funny, every time she plays me, we have great, long matches. Sometimes I see results, and I wish I knew why (laughter). I think I've got to watch her play more often. I don't know. I've never seen her play and lose to somebody that she probably shouldn't lose to. I know she has some of those losses sometimes. But I think maybe against me or the top players, she plays well against. But it's getting there that she has a hard time with.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Has it been that long?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think I've improved a lot since then. It was another close match. She was right there with me the whole time and easily could have won that match. I think so. I mean, she always serves very well against me. It's difficult to get back. She's got a great backhand. I think her level of play has definitely risen, but I think the level of all the players has, as well.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Pretty much. We're pretty far ahead of everybody in terms of ranking points, in terms of titles over the last ten months or whatever. As of now, yeah. You never know when things change and a player becomes hot, like Serena did last year. You never know. For right now, I think Martina and I are heads and shoulders above the rest.

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