WIMBLEDON

July 6, 2000

Lindsay Davenport

MODERATOR: Lindsay for you.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Just a mixture of some red, white and blue flowers. Pretty.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Sometimes you get them. They hand them to you. They don't necessarily throw them on the court. That was nice, though.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I hope so. It's funny to look at the difference between this year and last year because last year came so easy. Seemed like I was playing so well in the matches, just everything clicked from the first match. This Wimbledon I've had to fight a lot harder, come back in a few situations and matches, really hang in there. In some ways, this is much more satisfying because I got through the first week not playing well, really fought it out, got to the position where in the second week I started to play a little bit better. I mean, I'm psyched to get into another Grand Slam final, especially the second year here in a row. That means a lot to me to be able to come back and do it again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It wasn't great. But, you know, I obviously played a level above Jelena and was able to get through the match. Sometimes that just happens. You have two players who aren't necessarily playing their best. You just kind of play as well as you need to to win. I think that was the case today. Obviously I would have loved to have served better in the first set, and maybe it would have been a quicker match. But it didn't happen that way. I had to break a lot and just get by with winning with the way I was playing. I think she could have played a lot better tennis. Maybe it's a little overwhelming, your first semifinal sometimes. But she's good. It's too bad we both didn't play a little bit better today.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I've learned that you never know what's going to happen with younger players. But she's definitely a very, very talented player. She obviously does well on grass. Quarters and semis, that's tough to do when you're so young. Like I say, I don't think we saw her best tennis today. We'll see what happens the next few years.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: With all my injuries, they're feeling pretty good. I feel a little rundown just with the head cold. But sometimes that makes you concentrate a little bit more out there. Yesterday was kind of the worst day. Today I felt a little bit better. I think by Saturday, hopefully I'll be talking normally again and feeling a lot better.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I've played her a lot of times in the past. A lot of times I found the key was, you know, find a way to get her serve back, get them back deep so she obviously doesn't have put-away shots. On grass that's going to be a little more difficult than on other surfaces. I'll have to concentrate on that. Same thing on grass. You've got to hold your serve and look for your opportunities to break and really not let her step inside the baseline and hit the shots because she hits them so hard that on grass they might be hard to handle. I'm going to try to be the one getting the balls deep so she doesn't have a lot of time.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I thought Serena was playing the better tennis going into the match, but I personally thought Venus was going to win the match, just for outside reasons.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I just think with the sisters - I don't think, you know, many people can understand what goes on between the two of them. Especially I thought Serena winning the US Open last year might play a factor into it. But I don't really know them that well to know. Personally I thought Venus was going to win. I don't think Serena played all that well in the points I saw. That's what happens.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's tougher to do on grass because on the other surfaces you have a lot more time to step in. On grass, if you time it off a little bit, it gets out. But I've always had the game plan to try and attack her forehand. I've always thought she's had a world class backhand. Seems that she is hitting her forehand a lot better in this tournament. In past times, it would be the side that would not go as well. At the same time, you know, the more shots you give her, she'll get more groove. I'm going to try and obviously keep the balls deep and keep probably -- try and keep it away from too many easy backhands for her.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, it's pretty good. But like I said, it's probably a little less on grass than other surfaces just because of the time factor and she hits the ball so hard. It's going to be tough. I'll practise some tomorrow in practise, just trying to keep the balls a little deeper.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I don't think it was fixed at all. If you watched, it seemed like they were trying. Mentally I think it might be tougher for the younger one to beat the older one. That goes for things outside tennis. I have two older sisters. It's tough to do better than them in whatever you do. That's just from my experience with my sisters.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, we don't compete in the same thing there (laughter). If I couldn't do that, that would be pretty bad.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: My father?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Today?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know if it's telecast in the States live or whatever. I have no idea.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: My mom is working. My sisters are in Hawaii on vacation.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I guess I could.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Pretty much never. He came once this year to Indian Wells, but normally he doesn't come.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't really think that. It never really comes into my mind. A lot of times that's the way I like it. I don't really like to have a lot of, you know, hoopla and a lot of action and activity around what I'm doing. I've always said that, you know, the only reason why I'm here is just to play tennis, get through it, see personally what I can achieve, and leave all the other business to the other players and let them deal with it all. That's always been my take on it. I think that's what has helped me play better. I don't have to deal with a lot of outside things, and just really concentrate on my tennis. Today was pretty exceptional, two sisters playing in a semifinal. By no means should myself playing Dokic overshadow that. I mean, that's pretty special.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Sure, of course, more than anybody, I think (laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I'm pretty much aware I'm a lot different than other players here, and very lucky for it. Like even one of my cousins was here today. "You going to stay for the final Saturday?" "No, I've been gone for a week, I want to go home." My friend goes, "That's your whole family, I can't believe that." That's just the way they are. They're kind of over my tennis career, I think.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: When you have more than one child, at least with my parents, they tried really hard to treat all of us equally, and the whole family the same. Guarantee, though, they'll be watching. Maybe my mom will come over. I know she was disappointed she wasn't here last year. As for traveling the whole year with me, I don't think anyone would want to do that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's totally a shame. Whether she plays tennis or not, it's hard to have a parent that distracts from the overall good of what the child is achieving. It's tough because I'm sure she'll have to answer questions about that for a very long time. I know it took Mary a long time to get out of the shadow of her father. Jelena is very young, a good player, and it's just sad when you get negative publicity for something that could be really good.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I better win more than I did the last time. The first game I had breakpoint; I didn't break. I was hoping it wouldn't be the same kind of pattern as it was. I knew I was playing a player that was less experienced than Monica on the bigger points, to make her play the points that were important. You know, I'll probably have a different strategy against Venus, probably go for it a little bit more because she is a very good player, but get some returns in and set up the shots a little bit better than I was the other day.