PILOT PEN TENNIS

August 28, 1999

Lindsay Davenport

Q. Looks like Venus was on her game today. Was that the case?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I think she has been playing well this whole week. I had a lot of opportunities in the second set. First set she outplayed me. Second set a lot of opportunities and probably should have won that set, but that is the way it goes sometimes. Sometimes you win the big points and sometimes you don't. Today I wasn't able to do that. She came up with the right shots when she needed them.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It is difficult not to hold. I knew I had a good chance of breaking her. I broke her a lot during the match, but I only held like one or two times. That is pretty bad. I am more disapointed with that than anything else.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. Completely different game starting Monday at 11 or whenever it starts.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I think it is a slow court and that gives her a lot more time to return. I think that helped me a lot breaking her too. After I would miss my first serves she was taking advantage of my second serve and I just didn't make enough first serves in and didn't do enough play -- I didn't place the ball well enough on my serve.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think I am playing okay. I don't think I am playing my best tennis. I just think a few times I am making some errors that maybe I wasn't making maybe year ago or when I am playing well I should say. That is about it. Other than, that I feel like I am hitting ball the pretty well. Apart from today, I felt like I was serving well all week. Like I said, I think the fast courts in New York will help my game a lot and other than that, I mean, who knows. You got to start over and, right now, actually and get ready for next week.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, no. Obviously she is playing well. That might make her a bigger favorite with the odds, I don't know. But on the other hand, who knows, I mean, I know I can play better than I did today. Will it come next week or the next two weeks? I hope so. I don't know. But Venus is going to be tough to beat. She was serving a lot better today than she has the last few times I have played her. In the first set, especially, I should say she served well. I have got to raise my game for the Open if I want to defend.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Overall, I think, this year Wimbledon I played great tennis. Like I said, I like the grass courts. Girls don't get so many balls back on the grass and the fast courts. This summer I am not just not prepared, balls coming back, I am not ready. I just think I need to be a little bit more on my toes; a little bit more aggressive with my racket head and keep going for my shots and not thinking that: Oh, they won't get that back; then they do, and hit good shots. I just think I need to be more on my toes and be more eager.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, she is very athletic. Not often do you have an aggressive player who is also extremely fast. That is what she has. That is some great assets to have. So you have just got to keep playing with her and keep trying to make her move, but she gets a lot of balls back. She is very athletic.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think we had a number of big named women's players especially through to the end. Right now women's tennis is just doing very well with a lot of different stars and a whole group of players that are drawing a lot of interest. I don't know why it didn't draw well for the men. I have no idea. I think a lot of big names maybe lost early that year, but I think we are excited. I like playing here the week before the Open. It is a good preparation. It is such a big stadium. It holds a lot of people I -- that is great that they are all come out to support us.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: More what?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think there is probably more volleying in the men's, but I think we have more rallies. We can get serves back and the men, they just serve too big. There is -- a lot of times their rallies are one or two shots where the women you have a lot longer rallies and a lot more tennis being played.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, they are very supportive. They are loud. They want a good match. You know, it is hard because they are farther away. Sometimes you get really small stadiums that are really close, but here there is just a lot of people you can tell the excitement that -- throughout the week with the tennis and this -- they wanted the big matches. It was a great place to play. Big stadium next week. We have got an even bigger stadium. So it is just a great tournament.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think she is making a lot less errors than she used to make. I think that happens with players, the older you get probably the more consistent you get or the smarter you get in certain points. I think the last two times she has just outplayed me and the times before that I had won the bigger points in matches and next time if I want to beat her I have got to win my set points and I have got hold my serve and there is just a few key turning points that I wasn't able to take advantage of today.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: We are used to it. You are never going to get perfect calls. I'd like to maybe see a few replace on TV, I heard maybe got a few bad calls. Like I said it goes both ways. I am sure maybe she maybe felt she got a few bad calls, but we are used to it. It happens most every match that you get some calls that you don't agree with it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think it just bothers you more when you feel the umpire just doesn't do much or she is scared maybe to get involved or he or I think you just like to know that the umpires is on top of it and sometimes if it is delayed and you don't hear anything or something like that it might frustrate you more.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It is hard -- I don't know -- I don't remember one point and going: Oh, that cost me the set or anything like that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I am sure she feels a lot more confident beating me two times instead of being one and 8 or whatever the record was. That is going to give her confidence in the future when we play. Hopefully next time I play her I can get back into the winning mode again and play a little bit better.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Probably. She held pretty easily and she hadn't held in a while. I was a little frustrated not winning the second set having two-set points and missing two relatively, you know, easy balls. That is the way it goes, though. She was just better on the big games.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I would say most likely the top three seeds or I think Serena has been playing pretty well. She only played one tournament in like three months or something, so I don't know why she hasn't been playing more. Seems to me like when she does play she plays pretty well. But, you know, not yet in Grand Slams. I read something that she hadn't I don't think ever gotten to the round of 16 in -- I think this is the time for her to maybe play well. You have got some other players that have a chance, Mary Pierce if she is playing well, or gets on a good roll, but other than that, I would say that the top players are probably the favorites.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. I mean, you just have to wait and see how players do in Grand Slams.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, it doesn't bother me who the journalists or who the media or who the odd makers, who they pick to win. What matters to me is who is playing for the finals and for the trophy. If people think that other people have a better shot than me, that is great. I mean, don't bother me. I know if I play well that it can be my tournament.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, I don't think so. Twelve months ago is a long time to kind of still carry that wave into a tournament. I am excited to get back there. I am excited to get back there and play. But I think being the defending champion probably doesn't mean so much anymore. It is just so many good players and it is 12 months ago. It is forever ago, it seems like. Different year, different tournament, and better players.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, that will be in about two hours. I have a court at 6, so I don't know. I am excited though to get back there. I think it is good to get there and get kind of the surroundings and, you know, if you see me tomorrow probably good time to ask me.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think so. I had a talk with someone from the tournament I think they said that it will be a little bit more similar. Everything is perfect about the tournament except -- the US Open has been played very fast the last three, four years, and that is the only thing that I think the players would like is just a little bit more consistency with the court speed.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, there is a lot of players when you match up it seems to create a lot of interest whether it is Martina and somebody Venus or Serena, myself. It is just great. I think the times are over where it is only going to be Chris and Martina and two players that create a rivalry. I think there are so many good players now that there is going to be a lot of rivalries that come out of this era of women's tennis. It is just a very competitive time, everyone you play from round one through the finals competition is so much tougher now; hopefully in 100 years they will remember some of the players that helped women's tennis get back to the top.