CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS OF THE COREL WTA TOUR

November 18, 1998

Lindsay Davenport

Q. Just relieved to get through that one?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Pretty much. It wasn't looking very good the first two sets and my game was pretty bad, I thought. She was playing some good tennis but I thought any time that I did have a chance, I was missing because at the end of the second set, I really kind of just won the few really important points of the set serving at 4-5, 15-30 able to win those three points in a row down 3-1, the breaker, able to come back, and just the whole -- obviously by the scores the whole match just turned after the tiebreak.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Many times. I don't know the exact records, but, yeah, I think we have played about eight or nine times before.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Every surface I am pretty sure.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I have always said a lot of times when you look at tournaments and scores of previous rounds sometimes the people that barely kind of squeak through in the beginning go on to play better tennis and win. Sometimes it doesn't happen, but a lot of times when you don't play so well and you are able to win a match, you kind of relax a little bit and better tennis comes out. You know, tomorrow I have a day off and I will just - except doubles - I will just be relieved to still be there. I will have to practice, hopefully get better. Look forward to playing Friday night to redeem myself, a chance to play a little bit better. I am still in the tournament; that is the great thing about this.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think it is important, but not really for No. 1. I guess I will be No. 1 at the end of the year no matter what happens here, but in better terms it is more important to pretty much to end the year on a good note. I went out the first round last year and I didn't really - it is not a great feeling. I'd really like to obviously cap off a great year by winning this tournament, but right now I am just kind of looking forward to getting through the next match as well. And just play great tennis, I have played really good tennis since July. Everybody is a little bit tired. It is the end of the year. Hopefully, if I can raise my game a little bit more, I can come away with another title.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I thought she was going to play very well. I think she played very well, she didn't seem to be moving too poorly because of her leg. I don't know, I thought she played well. She did play well. I was just lucky to win the second set.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I am not surprised now. It has been about two months, so, you know, if you told me in June that I would be No. 1 in October, I probably would have been surprised because we had a big gap between Martina and myself. But after winning the US Open, you could see mathematically that it was going to most likely happen. It is exciting to not only end the year one, but on top of that, to have a Grand Slam title, to have a lot of wins this year, versus not so many losses and just the win/loss column, just being able to have another great year. Last year was a great year for myself, six titles as well and ending the year too. To do it two years in a row, probably not a lot of people thought I'd do that or be No. 1 and it is great to be the first American obviously since Chris to end the year No. 1, American born. And I am very proud of that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Maybe. You know, because it was hard to play, I was very nervous. I was very flat just missing a lot of balls and probably a lot of that is nerves. But at the same time, I was excited to come out tonight. I wanted to play here again and I was excited to, you know, obviously make the Championship but at the same time I just-- I was very nervous at times. I couldn't really move my feet, but I fought through it and played a little bit at the time better at the end.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Honestly I haven't thought too much about the ranking. Last week after losing the final in Philadelphia, they said: Oh, if you win your first round, you will be one for the whole year. I went: Oh, okay. Martina still had to win the tournament and they told me Monday night: No matter what, I would be one. It was a relief to go: Oh, that is good, I don't have to worry about that. But at the same time, it does add a little bit more pressure to be the No. 1 player now, I should be playing well, and I think I wanted to do that, just play good tennis and unfortunately tonight I wasn't able to do that. But, you know, I pulled through with a win. But hopefully now you relax and get better.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. Haven't even crossed my mind yet.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: They don't actually. I went to - I won the doubles team of the year this year and I went to that awards. It was very nice. If I happen to win, I will definitely be there in Paris to accept the award. But right now, I am playing for this title, and not for kind of the other things that go with it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have no idea. It is tough though. I think in the past years it has been so obvious with someone who has won at least two Grand Slams every year. I think this year with four different winners, it was kind of up in the air. Hopefully I will win it based on being No. 1 in the year.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Thank you.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, you know, I can't start chipping balls. I don't really rush the net sometimes if it is going bad, but I think I have a little bit margin for error. I am still going to go for my shots, but at the same time I am not so, you know, flat-balled where I have to hit a winner. I can definitely get some balls in, but at the same time, sometimes when things are going bad, you want to stay aggressive, keep moving and miss some shots. But at the same time, maybe you gain some confidence that way. But no, my game is pretty -- obviously when you look at it, that is what has taken me pretty far. That is what I stick with when the going gets tough.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, the crowd was great. Supported me a lot tonight and I am glad I was able to pull it out. But I think it rattled her a little bit. Maybe after that she made a few errors. I was able to get up in the tiebreak, but that is the way it goes. Sometimes you get calls, you don't get calls, and you play I played her at the French Open center court in Paris this year that was not fun, so, you know, who knows how it goes, but this was my country, and I was happy to see them respond that way maybe.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think personally I am still the same. I still look at my tennis career the same. I still look at people the same way. But it is definitely a little bit more demanding on your time, more things to do; more people obviously know who you are now, and your tennis career, you have to stay -- I think put extra effort into staying very concentrated and focused all the time. It is easy to kind to say: Oh, well, I accomplished my goal, let's step back now, I don't want to practice today. You have to push yourself a little bit harder. But at the same time it has been the most unbelievable feeling, to win the tournament that I wanted to win most in my whole life, I was able to do, and still play well this whole fall. I have still gotten to the finals of every tournament I have played, and it has just been an incredible six months.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I am playing next year with Natasha. Each time we have come up in the finals Martinez played some excellent tennis. She is tough to play in doubles. I was very surprised to see they lost today. But at the same time it is hard, I don't think the women get enough credit for winning singles and doubles and for being in both, and at Grand Slams. Martina winning all 4, it is kind of one aspect gone a little bit unnoticed, it is very tough to do. It is hard to keep your concentration sometimes coming back after you lose a tough singles match in a Grand Slam to play a doubles final. But hopefully we will work out a few ways - I think Martinez is playing with Kournikova in Australia; not Novotna. Maybe that will be good for us.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not really. It is tough. I am not the kind of person that really loves to do a lot of media stuff or a lot of attention -- you know, it is in a room like this or something, but it is what you kind of play for, but at the same time I would be fine going unnoticed as well.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have no idea. If I knew I would have tried to break through sooner. But I think in the Olympics, you know, a little bit easier to play and to win because the focus wasn't so much on the tennis. It was on everything and I was more worried about what other sport I was going to go watch and how the other teammates were doing, and was Andre still winning, everything, you are concentrated on different things. Whereas at a Grand Slam, it is, me, me, me, who won today and who lost; did I play well. I think last year's US Open I got to the semis. It was a -- kind of a breakthrough. This whole year getting to the semis, semis, and quarters coming to the US Open, I don't know, I hope to keep that attitude through my next Grand Slam in Australia but it is tough to do to always stay positive, but hopefully I have learned to do that I will make another breakthrough but I don't know why I took so long.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I think sometimes in the winter it is different because you bundle up and you wear hats and you wear big jacket so not many people notice you. But I haven't -- I only got in very late Sunday night. I only went out Monday because I had doubles yesterday. But it was fine. It was a lot better than the summer. But it is great. I love New York. I have got a lot of friends here, a lot of great places to go. I am happy being here. I am happy being back. I am in the same hotel room if you can believe that, and hopefully the memories will get me through this week again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Grand Slams I wouldn't play if I played three out of five sets. It is way too tiring. I think the men could probably play more on the weekly events because -- I play -- because on the Grand Slams I love playing on the day off; I will be playing another match. I love not necessarily having to practice at 8:00 A.M. to get the court by yourself. I like the match conditions. And a lot of tournaments, when the women have byes, it is great to be able to play Monday or Tuesday and play a doubles match. It is great to be able, when you are not playing well, to go out there and still win matches and maybe, you know, you find your shots sometimes in matches. And I love doing that in doubles. Sometimes you can tell how another person plays by just playing them in doubles. There is a lot of positive things. If you lose a singles match sometimes best thing to do is go right back out there the same day and win a doubles match. I have always loved playing doubles. It gets a little bit tiring. I think sometimes you have to take some weeks off by playing, but I think there is more -- a lot more positive points than there are negative.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Sure. We have done it many times, and it is great to be able to spend time with somebody on the practice court and sometimes helping them with their game instead of playing against them in practicing. Kind of taking a mental note of it or something. Monica is unbelievable in the sense because when at a tournament you -- she is so ferocious and on the court such a great competitor, but you would be surprised that she is probably one of best team players there is and she will feed balls to you or help you through it, and I have always had a great time playing with her. She gives a lot of support and it has gotten myself, and Mary Joe and the other players at the US team to really get to know her more. I am hoping next year with the Fed Cups we are going to see who is playing where and all that. At the same time hopefully we will both be in Sydney in 2000 together.