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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2008

Lindsay Davenport

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What did you think of the first set?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Just that obviously I wanted to play a little better than I did in the beginning, but she was really aggressive on me. I felt like I never really hit the ball that well, and I'm in trouble when I'm not hitting the ball well.
She did a great job of serving very well, especially -- well, I mean both sets, but she got off to a really good start and I thought I played really well all the way through.

Q. Do you see this as a measuring stick for how far you still have to go to get back to the very top?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, of course, I mean, any time you play the top players you can see maybe how far off you are. I'm not sure I'm aiming to get back to the very top of women's tennis. But absolutely, I mean, she was head and shoulders better than I was.
I'd like to think - and I know I can play better than I did here this week, but, you know, I wanted to play well here and it didn't happen. So got to figure out a way to play better again at the bigger tournaments and give myself a little better chance than I did tonight.

Q. What's missing in particular?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I mean, so far in the comeback I've been playing well and hitting the ball well. I just really felt like in this tournament I wasn't really timing or attacking the ball as well as I need to do. I have to be controlling points and getting depth and hitting through the ball. Wasn't able to do that.
Like I said, I'm in trouble when I do that because then I'm on the defense. Hopefully, I think it will come back. I've got a few weeks before I've got to play again so I'll work on some things. But obviously I'm disappointed with the way this match went and this tournament went, but I have to look big picture at this point in my career, and it's so far it's gone pretty well the last few months.

Q. How does it feel to be back on a really big court? First round you said you battled a bit of butterflies. Were you more calm this time going on the court?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was fun. The crowd was great. I wish I could've give them a little more to cheer for. They were trying to get me in it.
No, it was fun. I was excited. I really felt like the key was starting off well, and I really didn't do that. So.
Of course I'd like to go back and step out there again for the first time tonight and try and start the match over, but that's obviously not possible. And I'll try and do a better job of in a next time.

Q. It wasn't nerves?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, no. I actually felt really good and happy tonight. I was much more nervous the other night. I felt like I had nothing to lose tonight, but unfortunately I didn't really play like it.

Q. You said you're not sure if you're aiming to get back right to the very top of women's tennis. Where exactly are you trying to go with this comeback? Do you have sort of a stated goal, anywhere you'd like to get to, top 10, top 5?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. I'm kind of playing this all by ear. I don't think I'll -- I mean, I know I can't get back to the top just by the sheer volume of tournaments that need to be played and the results that need to come week in and week out.
But I know -- I believe I can get back into the top 10 by the end of the year. I obviously need a lot more tournaments to play and need to improve my level, but I totally believe in myself that I can achieve that.

Q. Does your day job put into context tonight's defeat?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: My day job?

Q. As in being a mother.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, gosh, yeah. I mean, of course. Like I said, I'm disappointed. I put a lot of effort into playing well in this tournament. But, I mean, I still feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world.
Unfortunately my son will be sleeping when I get home, so that's a little bit of a disappointment. But, you know, I get to wake up with him tomorrow, and, you know, continue with this journey of trying to keep playing tennis and have my husband and my son in my life. It's pretty great position to be in.

Q. You hadn't played her in almost two years. Could you notice how much better she's moving, in particular?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, the thing I was most surprised about is how well she served, especially because -- you can't tell, but that court was quite strong wind going one way tonight. No matter what side I was on, against the wind or with the wind, I never got a break point, I never really got up on her serve. I was impressed, because everyone was telling me that they her serve had gotten worse.
But, yeah, overall she looks very fit on the court. She's playing well. I think the end of the year she gained some confidence back in the championships. But, yeah, I mean, I thought she played very well. Hit the lines a lot.

Q. Why are you still playing, Lindsay? Is it love of the game or something still to prove?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's nothing really to prove. I've always enjoyed a challenge, and it's been a huge challenge to come back after having a baby. It's been a lot of fun to try and see what I can accomplish now being older and having my body go through a little bit of I metamorphosis.
But it's been a lot of fun, because it's been so long since I've been on my way up and trying to improve and trying to go up the rankings. I definitely missed playing, I miss the daily goal of having something to strive for. And, you know, obviously I'm going to have some setbacks and didn't play well here, but overall I'm still having fun, so why not?

Q. What about being the highest paid sportswoman? What do you make of that?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, that was performance-based. Obviously I mean, I've had -- I'm extremely lucky. It just says to maybe how long I've played, how consistently I've played. But records are there to be broken, and in this day and age I don't think that record will stay too long.

Q. Do you get any encouragement from other moms walking down the street or as you walk around the area here? Do they yell things out to you that otherwise you wouldn't have heard before?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, of course. I think that I probably appeal to maybe a wider audience maybe now, of course. A woman came up to me the other night and said -- she was a nanny and thought I was so great.
It's different, and I have a whole newfound respect for other women, as well, and women who have gone through it before.
So I have felt a lot more encouragement from people and from fans, and I appreciate that very much.

Q. Is there any other female athletes who have been through a similar thing that you've spoken to and gotten encouragement from?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not really. I've definitely followed the stories of many of them, especially some of the recent ones. I know the woman who won the New York City Marathon had had a baby just a few months earlier. There was an Australian track and field, maybe hurdles, that I was reading about.
I mean, it's amazing once you kind of get interested in a topic what you find out about how many people have gone through it. I'm very, very privileged and blessed to be a part of that club.

Q. What's been the most difficult aspect of coming back and trying to balance motherhood and tennis?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, it hasn't been too hard balancing it. I mean, I have to spend less time focusing on my job during the day, but sometimes that's a blessing. Physically on the court, obviously it's a little bit more of a challenge. I'm still trying to get, you know, back to my prepregnancy weight and shape.
Kind of have given myself the nine months. That's kind of almost running out, so better think of another excuse. (laughter.)
But really, it's been mostly all good. I mean, probably just the traveling is a little bit more challenging now. But, you know, I have a job where I only have to leave my son for about four hours out of the day, and half the time he's with me on the courts.
Maybe the less sleep and getting up early. I was very spoiled with my sleep before, I think.

Q. Serena said she couldn't imagine what it was like walking around pregnant, let alone playing tennis having a baby. How hard is it?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I mean, it's not -- it wasn't easy, but I think Serena will be surprised when she's in that position, you know, what comes out of athletes and having babies. But, no, it wasn't easy in the beginning, but it's getting easier every week.
You know, I think for athletes your bodies respond very well and can come back from almost anything, so she'll be fine.

Q. On the physical challenge you were talking about, do you feel like you've lost half a step or do you feel you need to gain a step back or are you just getting tired?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: For sure. I don't know if that's just by having not played or still having a little bit of extra weight, but, you know, I have to definitely get back to where I was moving when I used to have a legitimate shot at anything.
Or I have to hit the ball extremely, extremely well and play on a fast court, and that didn't happen here. Better go back to running some sprints and see if I can gain that back.

Q. Stroke-wise it didn't seem like it took you that long to get your rhythm back, though.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, it didn't. It was pretty easy. And up until playing someone of Maria's caliber I thought I was hitting the ball pretty well, but all of a sudden the ball comes a little harder, more balls come back than against lower-ranked players.
Shows the difference of the women at the very top and the other women that play the game. Fortunately I do hit the ball well. That's why I've been successful in my career, and I'll just try and get everything else a little bit tighter and a little bit better, and hopefully have a better result next time.

Q. What's your next tournament?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, Fed Cup is my next event. Not too long, maybe 10 days to two weeks, and then playing the tournament in Memphis in the end of February, and then Indian Wells.
So I'm excited to be back in the States playing, and look forward to Fed Cup very much.

Q. I know you haven't faced Justine for a while. But after facing Sharapova tonight, and you know both of them pretty well. If she plays at that level, would you give her a shot in the quarters?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I thought she played really well, based on how she played tonight. Justine playing Maria would be a whole different level than Lindsay playing Maria. I mean, sure, I thought Maria played great, but Justine only lost three or four matches last year for a reason.
I know that they had a tough match at the Championships. And having not played Justine for a really long time I wouldn't exactly know, but I would still consider Justine the favorite of the tournament.

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