COMPAQ GRAND SLAM CUP

October 1, 1998

Lindsay Davenport

Q. Was it a tough match? How do you see the match?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was a tough match. You know, I don't feel like I played great. I felt like, you know, at the end I was trying to get ahead, and I just couldn't. But it's a good wake-up call for me. The first tournament in Europe, you know, I need to play a lot better the next two tournaments. Now I have a couple days to practice and hopefully I'll get better for next week.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's just something, makes me see that, you know, I need to play better, makes you think, "Well, I better improve or else this trip might not go so well." But, you know, like I said, I didn't play great out there. I was trying hard to kind of get better. I was, but I just couldn't get on top.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Sorry?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, it might have been, but I lost, so.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, you know, I took the first week off and was just really relaxing at home and doing a lot of other stuff, media stuff. I started hitting last week. But I just didn't feel like I played that well today. Like I said, I've got a few days to practice some more before Filderstadt. Hopefully my game will come around before that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I just don't think -- you know, it could be many things. Who knows why you don't play so well. You know, I got in Monday, so I've been here for a couple days. But I think it's maybe a little bit altitude here. You know, I felt like my balls, a lot of them, were going long; I just didn't have that much control. Maybe a couple more days here would have helped.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: In terms of?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, who knows. I mean, I'd like to think that in the other matches I played better. I was hitting the ball a little bit better. But, you know, I tried hard today. I just didn't have what it takes here. She was always coming in, putting a lot of pressure on me. I think in the other matches I played better. But she played very aggressive today.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I mean, I think I'm like 11-2. I don't know my record. Normally, I have a good record against her. Going into this match, I wasn't nervous or upset. I thought I had a very good chance, and I did. I just couldn't hold my serve at the end to get ahead.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think so. I mean, last year, I lost first round in Filderstadt. I could only hope to improve on that. I think losing here today might even help me because it's definitely going to make me practice harder the next few days to try and get better. But really, I don't think I have anything to lose. I mean, if I do well in Filderstadt, definitely I might win. It's kind of exciting. Hopefully, I can play well next week. We'll see what happens with how both of us do. I know it's going to be very tough because I know Martina is going to play very well. I just hope I can play well, too.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No (laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I think pretty much probably after all the California tournaments, you know. I closed the gap to about 300 points. Obviously once I won the US Open, I knew it was going to be very, very close. But ranking has never been a huge priority of mine. Doing well in tournaments and, hopefully, trying to win a Grand Slam was always my goal. From now on, it's going to be to try to win tournaments, to try and be a very consistent player. Whatever happens with the rankings happens. You know, you can't really control that. It's never been a huge, huge obsession of mine. If it happens, I'll be very happy, though.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I think she's a great girl. She's always been extremely nice to me. Her mother, included. I think she's been an unbelievable No. 1. She has a great attitude. She's friendly, unlike some other players in the past. I'm not ever going to hold anything against her for competing.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, it's tough. I never played -- I mean, I've never played like a tournament like exhibition. You know what I mean? You normally play an exhibition going in. This is like a tournament, but really you don't get points for it, which is kind of a shame because it's all the best players here. For me, like I said earlier, I think I didn't play great today. I think this might help me in the next few days because I know I have to get better. Now I am going to look ahead to Filderstadt and Zurich. It's going to be a faster surface, which probably helps my game a little bit more. We'll see what happens. I had a great time here playing. It was an honor to be here, first year the women are here. Next year if I make it, I'll try and do a bit better.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have. I've only been here since Monday. But I guess tonight I better go to Oktoberfest before I leave. I better make it there tonight. It's been great. I mean, everybody's been treating everybody like first class. It's been a very nice week.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, hopefully, you know, it will definitely give me a big boost and a lot of confidence when I get back on the court playing tournaments. Again, I'm sure it will be more pressure, a lot more people are probably going after you a little bit more. But it's always been my dream and the one I wanted to win was the US Open. I'll never give back a dream, whatever the consequences are in the end. Hopefully I'll be able to play a little bit better in the next couple of weeks and win some tournaments again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I definitely felt a little bit rusty and definitely a little bit sluggish. As a player, you never know why that is. Like I said, maybe a few more days here might have helped my performance. I gave it everything I could. At the end, I thought I was so close, if I would have just held serve and gotten a chance to return for the match, but I kept getting broken. I felt like I was just short of turning the corner to starting the match to play a little bit better. But definitely maybe just a little bit rusty. Who knows?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I'd imagine, yeah. I mean, it was the greatest summer I could have possibly imagined, you know, winning three tournaments in California, then topping it off by winning the US Open. I did take a week off after the Open. That might have affected me a little bit. Now I have to kind of get back to business, concentrate on playing good again, getting back into the competitive spirit.