U.S. OPEN

September 1, 1996

Lindsay Davenport

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I always thought that I was fighting to win games and to win points. Nothing really felt that good out there. She started off playing unbelievable, some of the best tennis I've played against in a very long time. You know, like I said, I fought pretty hard to win that second set. Then I got down early. I didn't have much confidence because I never really thought I played that well in the match. She was able to quickly shatter what was left the bit left of my confidence.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Actually 5-2 in the second set, a big game, a couple set points there. Who knows, I held my serve easily the next game. Had I started the third, that may have been a little different. Instead, it started off she serving, I played a pathetic game, missed four returns when I finally lost it. She got on a roll again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: She returned very well. I haven't felt that good on my serve here. It felt very not good about it out there. Probably was her good returns. I felt like I had no rhythm on my serve. That was also due to her. She stepped in in the beginning, hit a couple great return winners. That's very important at the beginning of a match.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Gosh, I don't know. This is my first loss since Wimbledon. You know, I guess I was. I was trying to make a push to the end of this tournament, but.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think once I got down in the beginning, I lost my confidence a lot. You know, I think I fought so hard to win the second set, it was a pretty big struggle, even though the score wasn't that big. I got down in the third. At Love-3, I played a terrible game. I should have concentrated a little harder on holding my serve there. I don't know. I just was a little mentally tired, I guess. I don't know.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was lucky to win the game at 5-Love. A couple games I was serving 40-15. First game I lost. I figure, okay, no big deal. Then she went on a roll, hitting all these winners. I felt okay. I don't feel great about it. I don't feel sick. I just feel like out of it. Kind of felt like it all day. I'm not sick. I don't know.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think so. I knew she could play very well. She started off unbelievable. She hit the ball harder than a lot of players I've played against, certainly the last couple weeks and months. She came in fighting hard and ready to take it, as she did.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I figured at the beginning of the second, I think, "I'm going to have to hit my shots to win because she's not missing." I did that in the second. Got off to a bad start in the third, just kept going.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I don't think so. I had a normal day for a night match, a day that I've always had. I just think for some reason I wasn't prepared to play my best tennis out there. I needed that tonight and I didn't have it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, you know, obviously it's a huge win for her getting to a quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, to beat a Top 10 player, I guess. You know, I was looking forward to doing well here, having a good US Open, but it wasn't.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. I seem to run into very hot players here. Like I said, I needed to be prepared to play some of my best tennis today to fight her off. In the third I just ran out of it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. I mean, it's hard to say. I really wanted to go one more week. Should be able to do that. You know, I am a little bit, like I said, emotionally tired. This is the US Open. You know, I should be able to get through that. I don't think it was anything I did today. I did a very normal day for myself that I play a night match. You know, I don't know what it was. I was just flat.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, sure. I have Fed Cup in a month. I was only going to have two or three weeks off, now I have an extra week. I'm going to take a couple weeks off, try to get back up. It's going to be hard because this was the tournament, pretty much the biggest tournament of the year for myself. I don't know, going for Fed Cup and then the championships.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. I thought I've been handling it very well. I haven't been reading anything. I've been sticking to myself on my off times, trying to be very prepared today. Having one bad night doesn't mean I'm exhausted or the summer has caught up. It just means I did not play good tennis tonight. I could go out tomorrow and play unbelievable. Who knows. She certainly played unbelievable tonight. That's what happens in this unfortunate game.