PILOT PEN TENNIS

August 24, 2002

Lindsay Davenport

Q. For a while there it looked like you were in great shape, almost in control of the match, went up 5-3. Something that changed in your game or was it something that Venus did that kind of changed that first set around?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I think she cleaned up her game a little bit and didn't make so many unforced errors and myself, I think my level dropped off a little bit as well. I think it was probably a combination of both of those things. But I am happy with the way I played the first set and my tactics. I think that that was a huge improvement from a few weeks ago, and the first set had my chances to win it and I didn't. Put myself in the position to try and win it, and didn't happen. But like I said, it was a lot better than the last time and I felt like I have played a lot better. So I am a lot happier going into the US Open now.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, yeah, I mean, I guess so. I think that I do feel like I have been getting better every week and every week and have felt like this has been my best week so far. But really I just wish that I could go back at 5-4 and try and serve it out again. I think that those are the types of games where instead of stepping up my level, I haven't been doing that yet and you really, when it gets close in matches, have to be able to play better and today I did not do that at all. So that's really what I would like to work on. She's able to do that, and I don't know if that's because she plays a lot of tournaments or she's really confident, or that's just her nature, I am not sure, but that's something that I need to work on.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: She's -- you get mentally tough by winning a lot of matches, a lot of tournaments. Certainly she's done that over the last two years. She's obviously very tough to beat. I think she knows that. She is able to play better at the bigger moments and that's really what the most important thing in the whole aspect of tennis is. If you play well at the right times, you are going to come out ahead.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: A lot of those shots -- I mean, you think that are winners, she still gets them back and a lot times she then hits a better shot than she would have hit just standing there sometimes. She's got a lot of pace and excellent, excellent movement. It's tough. You have got to really try and force her to make errors and try and make her sink out there. Like I said, I did that pretty well in the first set and then just wasn't able to continue it at that level which is unfortunate because I really thought that I had my opportunities and probably should have won the first set.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I got frustrated with the fact that I played well and then I kind of let up a little bit and then it was like, you know, oh, it's Love-3, now how can that happen. It just happened so fast. A lot of players -- against a lot of players you can have your kind of lapse and, you know, it's not that big a deal. I mean, against her, she then takes advantage of it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: The more matches I can play the better it is going to be for me. Playing here was -- I was excited for it after the week off in L.A. and thought that I had some good wins here and played well against Mauresmo; played a good first set today. It's positive. I am in a much better mind frame now that I have come here and played well than if I had not played at all this week. In the long run I think it's going to be important for me.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. It's hard. You just hope that at some point it kind of clicks naturally when it's close, you start to play better. And I don't know, I mean, it's obviously something if you think about too much it's going to just drive you nuts, and if -- but it's something you have to be a little bit aware of and try and change the next time whether it's slow it down a little bit, or try and make more first serves and just probably go back to the basics of what I needed to do but it's also tough, she came up with some good shots as well, and, you know, I just, like I said, I think the key thing is serving a lot of first serves.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think she's a lot more consistent than she used to be and you know, her forehand used to be a big weakness in her game because her backhand has always been very good. Her forehand now you know, could be her better shot. I am not sure what she feels, but she's definitely a lot more consistent with her shots, and she's always had the firepower and the great shots and she's just cut down the errors quite a bit.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. That's something you'd have to ask her. Maybe she tries to construct points better now, I don't know. But I do know she doesn't give away as many free points as she used to.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. She still hits hard almost every shot. (Laughs). More consistent though.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, yeah, especially after the way the first set went. It's so hard that you play well and you feel like you should have won a set and you don't, and that certainly wouldn't have been the match, but that certainly would have helped me on my way to winning the match and then you just let a player like that run away with it and that's why I really needed to step it up there in the first set. But it's tough to get too down right now, it's Saturday. I think I play Monday at the US Open so I have just got to turn it around and not dwell on it and kind of move on. That's -- you know when you play the week before a Slam you have got to be able to put it behind you and look forward, because a big tournament's coming up for me.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: She came up with some great running shots at some certain times. Yeah, sometimes then instead of naturally going where you want to go maybe you think too much and think you change your mind and a lot of times that forces errors. You know, that's an attribute that she has been able to retrieve balls and like I said, hit better shots back. I think the most important thing is next time just go for the shot I want to go for and not to worry about her so much.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's going to be tough. She obviously has to contribute to her own downfall. Who knows, I mean, a player has to play extremely well against her, and she has to, like I said, help that player out, because she definitely has all the weapons.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. (Laughs). I am much, much happier with the way my game went this last week and I do feel like I am playing -- I don't want to say well, but playing very good again, and just see how it goes. It's a long two weeks, who knows what happens and how the draw works out.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, it will be really, really too much probably for me. I am so excited to get there and it will be a great time for me when I am able to go back out there.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yes, it will (laughter). I am going to change that around. Yeah, I mean, it's certainly gets very old and very tiring, and mentally just draining when you keep losing, and I really hope to have some more wins under my belt before it's all said and done.