US OPEN

September 3, 1997

Lindsay Davenport

Q. How the hell did you ever win that?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I know (laughter). I think both of us, you can say it to either one of us, if it had happened. Just luck. Someone asked me what the turning point was. I said there wasn't one until the ball went by her at match point. So many ups and downs with the wind, just played havoc on the ball. It was difficult to play. I'm just really lucky I got through, I think.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It feels good. No matter what happened, it was just great to win that match. But definitely very exciting. You know, whatever happens now is a bonus, I guess. I'm going to play two great players coming up. I'll just see what happens.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It didn't at all today. She started playing a little bit better. I started making a few errors. It was so tough for me to get up 4-1. There were so many chances for both of us early in the third. I was able to win those. Then she started winning the close ones. You know, for some reason, I never got down on myself today. I never thought I was out of it. I think that was the turning point today, you know. Receiving at 5-4, I still stayed positive. Just was able to get back into the match and then take it from there.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Really?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: That's pathetic (laughter). I didn't know that. Wow, I didn't know that. You know, it was a little difficult. She served extremely well, much better than I thought in the wind. I thought I'd get a few more double-faults, a few more free points, but I didn't. You know, I seemed to play very aggressive. Then when I would have the breakpoint, I wouldn't hit it, come in, maybe wait for her to make the error. I'll definitely have to work on that for the next match, wow.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think so. I don't know, but I would hope not (laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I was able to get it back to 4-All in the second set. You know, for some reason, I was having trouble holding with the wind. She was having trouble holding against the wind. That was really frustrating. Normally you can hold your serve with the wind. I couldn't do that today. The toss was going all around. I got it back to 4-All, got broken right away with the wind. That's obviously discouraging. But I got into the third. The first couple games, like I said, were very close. I was down breakpoints in the first game, held. Then had a lot of breakpoints, finally broke. It was just up-and-down. I think almost every game I can remember in the third went to deuce. I just was trying to hang in there. I played a good game to break her to get to 5-All in the third. She played a good game to hold. The tiebreak was just up-and-down again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was an approach. She hadn't missed one backhand approach the whole match. The wind was actually going this way; she hit the ball this way (indicating). That was very lucky for me that the wind didn't bring that ball back in. I thought I was gone at that point. I didn't think that was going out. I was very shocked when it did go out.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. It's hard to explain. I felt pretty calm. When it was out, I was like, "She hasn't missed that yet this match. That's pretty lucky."

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: (Shaking head.) Why?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think so. I don't feel it yet.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, I know what that was. I hit myself on the serve. I know exactly what happened now, what you're talking about. I hit a serve, and I hit myself on the knee with my racquet. It was so sore for like two games, but it went away. It's just one of those things when you first do it, it's sore. I know what you're talking about. Sorry.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think the wind definitely took my toss places today that it's never gone before. So I think when I reached, I just (indicating). It was bad.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I have a little bit of a cold, but luckily it hasn't affected me physically. It's just coughing and a little congestion.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was. But, you know, at 4-3, when I had a couple breakpoints, she came up with some great forehands, you know. She was up that game. Then she missed some forehands. I got a breakpoint. I thought, "I'm going to play her forehand," and she hits a winner. Then I thought "I'm going to play her forehand," she hits another winner. Sometimes she came up with some great shots. Then at match point, I wasn't really kicking myself because I didn't feel like I was doing that much wrong. I mean, I let a few opportunities slip at 4-1, but that's about it. Like I said, I was just trying to hang in there. I got lucky she missed that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was trying to shorten the motion a bit. When you're against the wind, throw it farther in front. When you're with the wind, throw it farther behind you, because it will naturally drift that way. She served much, much better than I did today in the wind. Like I say, I didn't feel I could go for it with the wind. Against the wind, I felt like I was hitting it and it was going nowhere and she was coming in as she pleased. Hopefully, it gets better the next couple days, the wind.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Right now, at this moment, I'm very happy to be alive. Tomorrow, I'll take a different approach to it, I'm sure. When you win a match like this, you know, for the first couple hours, you have to be happy that you won it. That's the way I feel right now. I'm going to see who I play tonight. Tomorrow I'll take it again and forget about it today. As of this moment, right now, I'm extremely happy to be here (laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Probably. I felt pretty good at the end. I didn't realize it was that long until a little bit earlier someone told me. I was like, "Oh, that's long, especially for me." Also I don't think I would have pulled this out a couple months ago. I think I was able to keep my composure today. Even though things were going bad, starting to slip away, I was able to grab it before it went too far away.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think I was a little bit off balance with it. She was against the wind, so it stopped a little bit. I was able to hit it cross-court. You never know where the ball's going to go with the wind. Could have easily gone wide. You know, I got the serve. She was coming in, which was a good play. I was just, you know, able to use a little wrist and flick it cross-court.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, not at all. Maybe that was lucky she didn't give me a chance to play a point out, I don't know. That was a good play from her. But I just didn't have time to think, just kind of flicked it cross-court.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think so, so much. I thought on a couple points, "Maybe she'll double-fault, maybe she'll give me this point." It never happened. She stayed pretty solid through it all. I think anything, it was tough to keep the ball in today because of the wind. On the one side, I'm thinking "keep this in". On the other side, I'm thinking "swing". The ball still didn't go anywhere. You know, I think Jana has had a lot of near misses, like you've said. Today, I don't really think you can put this anyplace because it was so difficult to play.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I don't think she has that big a reputation anymore. I think it's been a long time since she's ever done something like that. You know, she's gotten to 2 in the world, won a lot of titles for doing that. I thought with the wind and her high toss, she was going to give me some more double-faults, but it never came.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Everyone else is caught up in my history of Grand Slam tournaments but me. Maybe that's good. I was thinking about the match, trying to advance. That's about it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, I don't know. I was actually very surprised that a lot of my passing shots went by her. Pretty much before the match, my coach told me, "When she approaches, you see it coming, make up your mind right away and hit it. If you see it coming, you want to go down the line, just hit it down the line. If you hit the fence, fine, but make your mind up." That helped me. Today on the backhand, as soon as I saw it coming, I would turn and say, "I'm going down the line." I was successful maybe making my mind up when I saw the ball coming.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Maybe, yeah. I was trying to get the ball early. You know, when I was against the wind, maybe to try a few more angles, maybe the ball would stop them. When I was with the wind, to really hit them.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think I've learned a lot the last couple months. You've never won the match, you've never lost it till it's over. Today, like I said, I stayed up even though I let it seemingly slip away. I was able to come back and win it. Just some confidence and learned a little bit more the last couple months.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, the luckiest I've gotten in a big situation, for sure. She could have easily made that approach and the match would have been over. You know, in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, anything goes. Today we were both fighting to try to play in hard conditions. At the end, you know, I think it was just luck.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Maybe. Luck comes and goes. Maybe in two weeks, she'll get lucky. You know, you never know what happens. Maybe I deserved it. I think I got very lucky at the Olympics. I hit a let cord on set point. People talk about that a lot. I got lucky again today.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I think each match is different. Coming out at a Grand Slam semifinal is going to be different. No matter who I play, I'm going to try and attack. I have wins over Martina, so that will help my confidence. I do believe I can beat her, but I believe I can beat Arantxa also. I will just concentrate on playing the match and playing the condition, which hopefully won't be a factor next time.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's amazing. A lot of times players are down match point, second round, come back and win the tournament. I think they feel like they've been given a new life and feel freer. I felt very lucky to get by my third round, played extremely well the next round. I felt like I was lucky to get by today, maybe I'll play extremely well my next round again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I learned that she's beatable. But on top of me playing well, you know, she definitely -- if she's playing her best, it's going to be a tough day, in other words. In LA, she didn't play her best, and I knew that. You know, if I play Martina, I have to try to not let her play her best, which is not let her be in position and dictate and put the ball where she wants it to be. If I play Martina, I don't feel like I have much to lose, which is nice.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I know (laughter). Today in the introductions, they said it was my 22nd Grand Slam. I was like, "Oh, my goodness." I don't feel old, but I feel in the middle of three generations. I think Venus and Martina are the faces of the future. I think myself and Majoli, maybe Anke Huber and Mary Pierce, you know, we're going to be around for a lot longer. The players like older players are not going to be around as much, maybe like Novotna - help me out - Steffi, they're not going to play for ten more years, I don't think.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: What?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Venus has helped my situation a lot (laughter). Her and Brenda Schultz around has definitely made life a little easier.