adidas International

January 10, 2003

Lindsay Davenport

THE MODERATOR: First question for Lindsay, please.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Is that... Really?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: If you had told me a year ago, that probably would have made the last few months of last year a little easier. Yeah, I've definitely come a long way since that day in Colorado. You know, it's exciting to look at the progress that I've been able to make since coming back from surgery. Even though I didn't win a tournament or even though I lost the matches I could have lost, I still was, I think, in the semis of just about every tournament I played at least - if not the final. To be out of the game for seven or eight months and still be able to do that, I'm really proud of that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, I never know. I mean, I've always done well here in Sydney. My past results have always been that I've started the year off on the right foot here. But, you know, looking at the draw, I had a tough draw. I don't have byes anymore - or at least right now. So I knew it was going to be a little bit different. So I didn't really know. You know, obviously I'm happy to be in the finals.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: The doctor was always very confident that I would be able to come back and be able to compete on my leg again. That was really the most important thing. Then I had to overcome my own doubts about how I would be from not playing so long and not competing so long. I'd never really spent the night in the hospital before, all of a sudden I had two nights in the hospital. Really up until January 1st, thought I was going to go to the Australian Open until, you know, my knee just basically just wouldn't go anymore. So it was tough, but I think it was something that was really good for me to go through, was a lot of adversity, certainly the most I've ever been through in my life. It made me work harder, and it made me want to come back even more.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I always wanted to. I never thought -- my knee, you know, cooperated very well, so I never really had any huge setbacks in the rehab. It was just very long and very tedious. But, yeah, there was always the worry and concern that if I was to hurt the knee again, it's gonna be really tough to come back from. Once you do some damage to cartilage, there's only so many times you can repair it before you probably can't be so active on it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. Well, if I was to go on obviously the past few times they've played, I think Kim's won pretty easily. Kim looks to be in really great form right now. I think that it would be a very big win for Justine to win. Obviously, they're both great players, they're both young players, so it's going to be a tough match either way. You just kind of have to wait to see who wins. I'm kind of leaning towards that Kim will probably win. If not, I've played both of them a lot last year, and I'm very familiar with both their games.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It doesn't. I'm not going to think about it until tomorrow. I just feel really just kind of tired today, just from two really late nights, especially the other night at 12:15 I think we finished. Last night was just a very tiring match physically and emotionally, that I really won't think about the final until tomorrow morning.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's really tough to gauge your game on a match like today. Last night took a lot out of me, there's no question. I started off well today and probably didn't concentrate as much as I could. She was playing a lot more aggressive than I expected her to play. There's a lot of factors. So I don't like to be too hard on myself for certain matches. But I'm winning matches. Last night I pulled a close one out. I had a lost a few close ones. I feel like my serve is there, but it's not as consistent as I'd like it to be. But when it's working, it's being effective. I feel like I'm moving well. Right now that's the most important thing, as well as no injuries.