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U.S. OPEN

August 29, 2008

Lindsay Davenport

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

M. BARTOLI/L. Davenport
6-1, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You said that if you played well this was winnable, but it seemed like you were having trouble with your groundstrokes. The first set and your serve, and the second...
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I just never felt comfortable out there. And then I was trying so hard to get back in the second, was able to do that, and then, you know, gosh, played one of the worst games of my career at 5-All.
So, you know, it's the way it goes. I gave myself more of a chance, and, you know, clawed my way through not playing great, and making it competitive.
But it's just a shame, like I had all the momentum, I felt like saving match point, coming back and breaking her and just giving it right back to her.

Q. Have you ever started a game with seven faults?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think so, but I've never -- I guess what they call it the yips on your serve, I don't know where it came from. Probably made came from all my years making fun of people that had it. That was my karma coming back. That was my joke.

Q. How were you feeling when you finally got through all that and you still made it all the way to the breaker, when that's starting? How were you feeling and do you think the match is about to turn in your favor?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, you know, it was great to get back in the match, you know, I guess. Even sometimes it's easier to lose like 1 and 2 and 1 and 3 I guess it would have been and never having a chance. I gave myself a chance out there, but once my serve kind of left me, I felt like I didn't have a lot of confidence to go up after it and I think that translated into my groundies in the tiebreak. My game's not about just making balls in or getting serves in, and I felt like that's what I had to do.
So I felt like I was kind of behind the 8 ball a little bit in the tiebreak.

Q. Did you allow yourself to think about when you left the court, any significance to that?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I was so pissed off that I didn't think about anything.

Q. So nothing has been crystallized in your mind about...
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, all I know is I have doubles at 2:30 tomorrow. That's about as far as I'm thinking. I think it's tough to make any kind of decision in a rash moment, and there was no decision made before the tournament, so, you know, I don't think it's time to make a certain statement now.

Q. What were you saying or thinking about during those rain delays and you came out very flat after the first one?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, you know, I thought I felt pretty good and I was excited to be playing, and I think maybe just anxious, and that kind of hurt my game a little bit. You know, I was excited about the matchup, I thought I was getting better as the tournament went on and just wasn't the case, so I was surprised both times that I came out like that, but both times I did.

Q. After a couple matches under your belt, not playing singles for a while, did you feel like a favorite going into this?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, God, no. I didn't. You know, I never felt like I had my feet underneath me here. I don't know if that's -- I mean, obviously it's a combination of not playing much this summer, not practicing much. I didn't know if I'd be able to play, so when I came out here on Monday, was able to play, that was a huge step in the right direction, you know, if I could have, you know, gotten through this match some ugly way or gotten through the second set and then maybe see what could happen, but never felt I was in the form that I would prefer to be in.

Q. The last few games, it looked like you were muttering to yourself in between points. What were you saying? She was taking a while, too, between serves.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, it wasn't that. I've heard it many times. I think just trying to hang in there and figure out a way. I mean, I thought that was the best thing I did tonight was compete.
She obviously played well. It was some of my least great tennis out there and I still was trying to stay positive and try to, you know, turn it around. That was probably the one positive I'll take out of this match.

Q. Did you feel a little as if you were reacting -- huge crowd support -- did you feel like, "I've got to do this for them as much as for myself"?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was just trying to make it, make a few games for myself for a while there. And then obviously getting back into the match, I mean, really that was my second set to win once it gets to 5-All. I kind of let it slip away. Sure, their support was great out there, probably helped me turn that match around. It's a shame that I couldn't have turned it around a little bit better in my favor.

Q. You won your first Grand Slam here almost 10 years ago. How long does it really feel for you?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: How long does the last ten years feel like?

Q. Going on the court, do you have some of the same memories?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't. I kind of feel that was so long ago. Obviously it's the same court and it's the same tournament, but it was different era in tennis almost, so, you know, I think ten years later you don't really have that advantage under your belt that, you know, obviously the player that won it last year or year before probably has a certain confidence. I think after 10 years it's kind of expired.

End of FastScripts

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