U.S. OPEN

August 30, 1996

Lindsay Davenport

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Pretty much it was almost like the exact same match I played two days ago, same court, 6-Love. This time I won the first game and lost the next three. Both matches I seemed to lose my concentration a little bit in the second set. I don't know. I was playing really well. It was coming really easy. Hopefully for me, I'm not going to let that happen. I'll stay focused the whole match, keep going from there.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I've been having much better confidence about myself, better feeling about myself. I still don't think I played that well here yet. I think my first round was better than my last two. Keep working hitting the ball, hitting the shots I want to hit. I've definitely put myself in the best chance that I ever have to win a Grand Slam, meaning I'm in the best shape, like you said, I've ever been in, and playing well. I just have to hope that I play a little bit better next week.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think so. Some of it's still a little technical. A lot of it is working the point the right way, not going for errors too soon. That is a lot in the head, just to be patient. Just to have confidence in yourself that you can win these matches, keep playing well the second week. I have to really develop a more positive attitude. I think it's gotten a little better. Hopefully if it keeps getting better I'll be a more consistent performer.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's exciting for me personally because I finally -- I think I keep improving, I'm at a stage where it's been the best I've been so far. I can still get better, which is even more exciting, I think. When this tournament is over, win or lose, I can say, "That's okay, I came well prepared, did the best that I could, now let's whatever, keep it going like the way it was, let's get ready for Australia."

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think so. I worked extremely hard at the beginning of the year. I played some good tennis then. The matches didn't turn my way in the beginning of the year against Monica and Steffi. It has turned around this summer. I think a lot of it is confidence, a lot of it is that I know up here I've worked hard, in my mind. I do deserve to get some good wins.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Thank you.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I really don't know. I think before I had a lot of doubts about certain shots in my game, so I went back with my coach. I said, "Listen, I don't feel comfortable hitting this shot." We worked and worked and worked on it. Even though it's not great, I feel more confidence, so sometimes I'll hit it in the match. Just I think really by working hard and really trying to get in shape, in my mind it makes you stronger that, "I can last this match. I've practiced this shot, I know I can hit it when it gets close." Stuff like that has just worked out. Like I said, I think I stopped making a lot of stupid mistakes, unforced errors that before I would just make an error when it got close, get nervous and make a dumb shot. I think I've gotten much better at not doing that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Playing in this stadium was definitely different than any other stadium in the world. Half the time I'm not sure if they're actually watching the match (laughter). The Olympic atmosphere was unbelievable. It's different at the Olympics, though, because everyone was patriotic, the crowd wants every American player to do well. Here is a tough crowd. You have to try to impress them. The Olympics it's, "She's American, we have to cheer for her." Here it's you really have to prove to them you're worth cheering for. It's tough, people are walking and talking. I think the players have come to expect it here maybe.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I get this at every press conference. We'll say 20.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Stick with that (laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Thank you. I think before, discipline on the road, any kind of program that I would ever do traveling, that was really dumb because we spent so much time traveling. Now when I'm on the road, I try to still work out, I try to go to the gym as much as I can on my days off, just try and get some routine. When you're on the road, you just don't go to waste. Like I said, I didn't really go on like a diet, where I wasn't eating snacks. I just probably -- I started eating a little less, just continued to work out on the road.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think I can run down a lot more balls when my shots are going in. I can fall back on that a little bit. I'm never going to be Arantxa running down balls. I helps me mentally knowing that I've put in a lot of hours, that it's going to pay off sometime.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: The Olympics for sure. I said this the other day, no matter what happens, I think that will always be my biggest win because I wasn't expected to do it, such an underdog, the crowd wanted me to win because no one really thought I could. From now on, I'll probably always be "has a chance to win," "could win if she plays well." Before I was never put in that category. It was such a surprise to me. Winning the Olympics was something that was unbelievable, best feeling.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think just being in a position of playing the bigger matches more often. The more times you have breakpoints against Steffi or Monica, the top players, the better you are able to handle them. I've put myself in that position a couple times and it didn't work out, I'd miss returns, double-fault. The more bigger matches I've played, especially when I pulled one out against Arantxa or winning the gold medal, I know when I have breakpoint, "Come on, you have to go for it, you know you can do it," not to hold back. Steffi and Monica are not going to make an error at breakpoint down, as I learned match point down against Monica.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Actually, no. It happened really quick when I played Monica in Sidney. I played the points at 7-All in the breaker, double-faulted. Those are the points I play over, not exactly match point.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I still don't think like I'm the favorite obviously here. I think the second week is a much different story. In a lot of players' minds. I have to raise my game a couple notches more. I don't know, I think the clear-cut favorites, the favorites, then those with a chance. I would put myself with those with a chance.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. Well, I hope to.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. The team hasn't been named, but I fully expect to be there in Atlantic city.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's been both. The height has its advantages and negatives. Helps me on my serve, helps me a lot of times on higher balls or at the net with more reach. The times it hurts me is sometimes when the ball stays very low. Everyone says that I'm tall, I should be a serve and volleyer. I think people underestimate how tough it is to be a serve and volleyer and how low you have to be, how quick you have to be. So I'm a baseliner, I am a tall one.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I've always had a very solid and confident backhand. Sometimes my forehand would be the shot that wasn't really a weapon, so I've really kind of worked really hard to improve that shot. I think that shot has improved more than anything in my game. I've been trying to run around some shots. I miss them now, but I'm trying that sometimes, trying to hit it different, cross court and down the line. Also my serve. The more -- my coach comes from the men's Tour where the mentality is you always have to hold. You should never get broken in a match. If you can concentrate on holding, you're going to win because I can return pretty well and break. I've tried to concentrate on holding serve and improving my serve.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I said it sometimes before, it really depends who you're playing. I played Graf in LA, came to net a lot, just because for me it's easier to come in on a slice. Then I played Anke Huber in the finals and didn't come in very much. It's pretty hard to come in, for me, who hits drives on both sides. It depends on the type of player, what kind of match it is, the surface.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: That was the first.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was such a great experience to be out there the first time. You know, I haven't played out there yet where it's been packed and there's been a lot of energy in the match. I haven't played tremendous matches out there. They've all been two sets and pretty short, even my loss to Zina last year. It was a great experience as an American, you always want to play on center court at the US Open. Now I want to play there the second week of a Grand Slam against the top players.