EVERT CUP

March 7, 1999

Lindsay Davenport

Q. Did you feel it was a day off or did she play unbelievable?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I thought she played well. I thought probably it was more -- probably more of me than more of her. But she definitely took advantage of a good day to beat a top player. That's what you have to do. You know, I just haven't played a tournament in a while. I felt really kind of out of it out there. Just never really felt all that great about my game. You're not going to win if you feel like that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I haven't had the ideal preparation. I was sick for a number of weeks. I really wanted to play like a few matches to get back into the swing and to build my confidence. You know, you get tough draws and have you to be ready to play from Round 1. I just wasn't ready to play today. Who knows? I wanted a few matches, like I said. Maybe I would have played a little better as the tournament went on. I just wasn't ready to play my best tennis when I had to.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's been forever. I don't know quite what's going on. It's been like since Tokyo. It hurt me a couple weeks ago. I wasn't able to practice at all. The last ten days, I've been practicing. Sometimes it's not enough for me. I really need to be hitting a lot of balls, moving a lot, or I get really kind of uncoordinated. Who knows? I mean, she definitely played well, and that's the way tournaments go. I'm disappointed because I've always played well here, I've enjoyed playing here. There will be other times and I'll be back better.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: She's probably more consistent. Probably a little bit smarter. Doesn't make as many errors. You know, she was serving well. I had some chances in the very, very beginning of the match, didn't really break. Then I never really got close to breaking her again. She's probably learned a lot by playing more. She just seems to be getting more consistent. The more matches she plays, the more she knows how to play her type of game a little bit smarter.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Who knows? It was a great shot. Both her and her sister are very, very athletic. It helps their games a lot. Not too many other players probably would have gotten there. She got there and hit a great shot. She is just a great athlete.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have no idea. I know I'm going - well, if she still wants me (laughter). But, no, I don't know who else is playing. I know Billie said that she really needed me to play this one, they were getting not desperate, but they really wanted myself to go. So I'm going. I don't think she's heard from anybody else.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, no. You still think it could be your day. But, no, I mean sometimes you get handed opportunities at different stages in the matches. My very only chances were at the first two of her service games. You always think you're going to get more chances, as the match goes on, you'll finally be able to break. I just wasn't. That was my only chances. That's the way it goes.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know what I have. It was more just kind of respiratory. I was on antibiotics for a long time. It just hasn't quite cleared. I feel okay. I mean, I just haven't been able to really prepare the way I probably would have liked to have prepared. You know, I don't feel a hundred percent yet. It's not as bad as it was a few weeks ago. I'm not really sure what it is. It's just not going away.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Some days. I mean, I'm feeling much better now than I was, like I said, two weeks ago. Sometimes you've lost so much that you've had that it's hard to just get it back right away. Hopefully practicing now two more weeks until Lipton, I'll be a lot better there.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Just antibiotics.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, gosh, it didn't go away the first round. So this is about -- gol, I don't know. 13 or 14. I'm almost done. Two rounds of seven, something like that. Seems like a long time.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Hopefully. I've talked to other people, they've said it's kind of going around a little bit. I'm not too worried yet. If I'm at Lipton and I still feel sluggish or still feel lethargic, then I'll be a little bit more worried. I'm hoping that I'm -- I'm going to be playing doubles here, practice here, and hopefully by next Friday be ready to go for match one.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I can play. I just feel like I've lost a lot in the time that I had to sit out. I've always wanted to do well here. I've always loved playing here. I just don't think that this year I was a hundred percent from where I had to be. Playing Sunday was great, I could get another day. But I never considered withdrawing because I'm not on my death bed. I'm definitely not playing the tennis I'd like to be playing.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I started hitting slowly a couple days after the SB. Probably about two weeks I missed. I couldn't start off that hard. I just started real slow. Like I said, I just think I got weaker. For myself, I really need to be moving a lot, hitting a lot of balls to really feel like I'm playing well. I wasn't able to do that. She played well today, took advantage of an opportunity that was given to her.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. I mean, I haven't thought about it too much since Australia really. Do I expect it? Probably not. I mean, I don't look at rankings that importantly. I'm just trying to play better. Losing first round at tournaments like this isn't going to help the cause. For me, trying to win another Grand Slam and hopefully a different one, maybe on a different surface. We'll see what happens. I don't really care if I get back to 1 or not. I just want to play better tennis than today.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Reflect, no. That match didn't bother me at all. I mean, I thought I played a great match. She played an even better match. That kind of loss doesn't bother me. If you can play well and still lose, you have to go on with it. You know, Australia was a good trip. I mean, I won one tournament, beating three players in the Top 10 in Sydney. Then Australian, getting to the semis, it was a good trip. Since then, my last two tournaments have not been very good. You know, just working now towards Lipton.