AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2004

Lindsay Davenport

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think it's the tennis line. They might not like that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I feel fine. Physically, I feel fine. I just felt like I struggled with my game out there. A little bit of maybe a lapse of concentration, a little bit of lack of footwork, you know, just played a really shaky second set.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, I feel like physically I'm okay. I mean, my shoulder felt like 10 times better today than it has in the last five or six days. I just feel like I haven't adjusted yet to the conditions here in Melbourne, whatever they may be on that day. Just felt like I was hitting the ball a little bit better last week. You know, fortunately it's something like I feel I can get better, work on. I've got some doubles tomorrow to try and get on top of my game just a little bit more. I just feel like I'm a little bit off the last two matches.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, it is a challenge here. You know, on top of the heat, we've had a couple changes and I think another cool change is coming in, I've heard. You've always got a breeze, although today was a lot better. I just felt today like the balls were really sailing long, didn't really have great control to be able to bring them back in. So, you know, wish I knew why that happened. Wish I could have corrected it a little bit better in the second set. But just got away from me pretty quickly. Next thing you know, I was in a third.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Normally I go off my previous results with players. And they've been pretty good against her. So, you know, someone had mentioned that to me. I didn't really think too much about it. You know, I really felt like out there I was beating myself a lot in the second set. I felt like, just got to get on top of my game. But, you know, I hadn't had too much problem with her before, so I wasn't worried or anything about 12 months ago.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I really started off the year with absolutely no expectations. Then, you know, I probably played too well in the beginning. So now the expectations are probably too high for me right now. After playing really well at Hopman Cup, played well in Sydney, I felt like, "This is easy, it's right back there." Now the last two matches I haven't played my best tennis, especially the place you really want to be playing your best tennis. So, you know, at least I'm confident, it's still in me, played really well just a week ago. So I know it's still around the corner, I can still reach it. But, you know, this is like part of the setback of not playing a lot the last few months, having surgery, working your way back up. It's not always going to be uphill and great. So just got to take my lumps a little bit and keep working hard to try to get better and better.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I'm really, really clear in my mind, like, "Don't worry, you've been through a lot. You weren't able to improve at all last year." With my foot, I wasn't able to practice or really run hard. "Don't be so hard on yourself." Then I get out on the court and it's somewhere else (laughter). You know, I know that it's just a matter of time before I can keep getting better and better. If I can stay healthy... Already, I think, with my foot being healthy, being able to do little things like jump rope or practice longer than 45 minutes, it's going to start to pay off here.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, it feels great. As soon as the stitches came out about 14 days after surgery and I got the cast off, it was like I could tell immediately that it was gone, it was better, just by the shoes I could wear and by walking around for the first time, just feeling nothing in my foot. It was great.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I had yesterday off, and I did have that match on. I think her and Serena have proven time and time again how easily they come back a lot of times from injury. They take a lot of breaks on the tour and still come back and always seem to be playing pretty well and on top of their game. From what I saw, I saw about a set yesterday, and I thought Venus was playing great. She was in control of every point, going for shots. It was extremely hot. You know, she was able to control her shots, which is sometimes hard to do, especially after you haven't played. She looked really, really sharp the first match for her in a long time.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I mean, some people just adapt a little bit faster. Sometimes I struggle against players that are ranked lower. Like I've never been a person to win 0-1 and 2-1. It's always like a 3-4. I just, you know, have a hard time sometimes concentrating every single game throughout. They're very good at it. They're also, you know, extremely athletic and have a lot of power.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It can. I think it's a little bit more testing on the players after, you know -- it comes immediately like after our "off-season." And players haven't played a lot of tournaments or a lot of matches. So you find some players getting injured, you find some players not in their best shape because, you know, hopefully they've taken some time off to recover. And, you know, you just have to see who's really on top of their game. Never know who that person's going to be at the beginning of the year.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I know she's an American player, had a couple great wins here so far. Actually, I've never really seen her play, so don't really know exactly what her game style is. I know my coach went out and watched her, has seen her play a bunch. I'm sure he'll give me some tips. Like I always say, I've got to worry about my own game, executing the things I need to do well and trying to improve on today's performance will be a big goal. Just trying to build points, work the ball around, and just get my game moving forward.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was interesting. I think it's always frustrating when it happens in the middle of a game. Tough position, you know, to be having the one serve at 30-15, then have like a 10-minute break. I don't think that's ever happened to me too many times.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, it's so tough to call. I mean, you know, it's a judgment call sometimes on some injuries. Sometimes someone, you know, falls over and sprains their ankle and there's no way they can play anymore without some help. It's a tough call. I mean, I don't really have an opinion. You'd like to think on a changeover, on a set break, it's ideal. But if someone's hurt, they definitely need some attention.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, it's funny because I haven't actually played her since then. It seems like I played everybody. It's such a funny match. I mean someone was talking about it. I go, "Yeah, I think I was down a set and 4-Love. Then I think I was up 4-1 in the third."

It was such a weird match. Both of us were going up and down with our form. As she proved at the US Open, she handles adversity and problems like that very, very well. I mean, it was obvious she was cramping and in a lot of pain and got some treatment, and then looked to be pretty good. And I saw her do that against Jennifer at the US Open. I mean, there's no question she was hurting. Seems like it makes her concentrate even more and really buckle down. You know, at the end of that match, she was by far, you know, the better player those last two games, even after going through what she went through.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, that was remarkable.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think it was pretty remarkable, the situation she was in. I mean, Love-15, second serve, you know, out wide on the ad side. I would give that to her all day long on a shot like that. She made it. That's too good.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think she's under the microscope just a little bit more than I was, being engaged. Just to, you know, have fun and enjoy it. I'm sure, you know, she doesn't need any advice. She seems like she enjoys life, is very happy. She'll be fine.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. No. I mean, I'm very friendly with Kim. I see Kim a lot. But, you know, they're both very kind of focused on the tournament. I think it's hard at Slams. He's got his goals and she's got her goals. You know, I don't think that they're just hanging out all the time. They're really focused on what they're doing.