VIRGINIA SLIMS CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 16, 1994

Lindsay Davenport

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I was, you know, pretty nervous beforehand. I was trying to get relaxed and play cards and, you know, trying to, you know, just not think about it too much, and, you know, it's really exciting to win your first match out there you hear so much about it and going out, even though you've practiced out there, when you go out there, like, looking around -- it was a big win, I think, for myself. Because I've had kind of a rough couple of months not playing that well, and really, I'm real happy I was able to win this one.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I think for sure I met my expectations because, you know, I didn't really know what to expect in the beginning. The second half of the year, didn't kind of -- didn't turn out as good. I had an unbelievable first couple of months and the second half, you know, I got a little hurt and I didn't play that well and I wasn't able to do a lot of things, but I started playing well again a couple of weeks ago in Oakland and ran into a very, very hard-- Brenda Schultz in Philadelphia and I'm here and I'm really glad I'm playing well again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I pulled a calf muscle. I've never really gotten hurt -- I was out for almost like 12 or 11 days and with a calf muscle, it's even harder to walk. It was a really weird pain, but anyway, I got over there and I'm doing better.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, for sure. I think people know now what, maybe, serves I don't like to return or what serves I like to hit more, and so, you have to always kind of work on keeping your game less predictable or trying -- try to be a little more deceiving with shots and go for some shots that maybe you don't always want to go for. I've been hitting a lot of backhand slices and trying to run around and hit forehands and really try to make the forehand a big weapon just to add some diversity.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: At certain times I did. At the Open I felt a lot of pressure with that. I wasn't really thinking about it until I read every where that I was the only American, you know, I think, seeded in the top -- 11 or top 10 until Mary Joe, the highest American seed. But here I'm a little more comfortable with it. You know, it's been a weird year for American tennis. Mary Joe has been injured and Jennifer is coming back, which is great, and it's just kind of been like a little hole and I'm the only one who's been playing okay, I guess, so, I think when the other players start coming back and, you know, some of the other players like Chanda Rubin and Amy Frazier and Lisa Raymond and once everyone else gets up there, there's a good crop, no one else has been able to make a breakthrough.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't really know.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I think I just adjusted a little better to it. Maybe not immediately, but in the next couple months and just, you know, I don't know, I've knew, I would tell them, I would try. But, you know, we'll hope. I don't know, I guess we don't consider Mary American.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: She doesn't, okay. Well I guess -- I'm the only American left.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, actually I kind of like just playing at night. I went and spent couple hours in Greenwich Village and got some Diesel stuff and it is a great city to walk around in because in L.A. you can't walk, it is not very safe to do that, and here you can walk the blocks and go shopping and we found this, like, little cafe in the streets and I think it's great. Tomorrow -- I don't think I'll play until Friday, so tomorrow, more shopping.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I've never played Jana, and I think it's going to be a difficult match for me and she serves really well and she -- I have seen her play Pierce and I saw her couple months ago at the Open against Majoli and she's able to do a lot with the ball with the slice, keeps it low, and forehand she can really nail it. So I'm going to have to try and maybe -- first of all, be able to return the serve pretty well and get on top of her and be on the offensive and not let her come in and dictate before the balls go and I'm going to have to be the aggressor.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yes, I do not play defense well, that's when I'm in trouble. So I've got to just to be able to get to the balls early and make her move.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was kind of a weird match tonight. You know, we played couple weeks ago in Oakland and I played better tennis, she was missing a lot and we play kind of similar games and the last two times I've just be able to -- I don't know if it's overpower but make her go for shots she's not comfortable and miss a lot. I served really well tonight and didn't give her many chances on my serve, and so I was able to hold pretty comfortably and just wait to break her.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I'm supposed to go to Hawaii for a week after this and relax a little and just start really working on my fitness again. I've worked on it for the last couple weeks and I've -- you have certain goals in that and the next goal is Australia and try to lose a little more weight and get stronger and faster and kind of go in sections and just keep going through each period of time and improve on that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Any staying up in Oakland at a trainers, his name is Don Chu in the USTA and really he had me the first couple weeks doing a lot of basic weights to try -- the base strengthening down and on the track a lot to get a little faster and it helped I felt a lot better about myself which was important and just a little more confident in it. It will take some time though. Maybe a year from now here you'll say, she's in great shape.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, just, you know, being able to -- you know, I really want to be able to go out there and say I can get almost every ball and never get tired and, you know, be really fast, I think that's the main key for myself is to be fast and be a step quicker and just being on top of all the shots. I don't know what it's going to be like or what it's like, I don't know what I really want, but I know what I want to feel on the court -- or how.