SANEX CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 4, 2001

Lindsay Davenport

Bart McGuire

MODERATOR: Please, Lindsay, go ahead.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't really know what to say. Obviously, this is one of the toughest days of my career. Yesterday, third set tiebreak at 5-2, Kim hit a dropshot which I ran to and got. I think she missed the next shot. But right there I definitely jammed my knee and did something to where, you know, I kind of knew I hurt my knee. Obviously, it was then 6-2. I think I won the next point or the point after that to win the match. I thought I might be in a little bit of trouble with my knee. It was a little bit hard to walk around. I continued and got treatment all night. This morning I can't put any weight on my leg. I tried to hit for under five minutes, but it's just absolutely impossible to put anything on my right leg. Obviously, in this condition, I can't play. I don't even feel like I could do anything right now. That's my story.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I did not do an MRI last night. They are confident that they think I hit the two bones together again in my knee, like I did in March. It is much more painful now than it was in March. In March I was able to play a set, then I was off from about 10 to 11 weeks. This morning I couldn't hit let alone really walk. I probably won't know exactly the extent until I do an MRI. But it is believed that it is a bone bruise again, or the two bones hit each other again.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, definitely never as important as this. I mean, I can't tell you how bad I feel for everyone involved. After having such a great run, to end it like this is definitely the worst way to end the season. I would much rather end it going out there and losing. I have pulled out of matches before. If it had been another tournament, I don't think I would have even have tried to hit. It's almost impossible to walk and put any weight on it this morning. I mean, I tried. I don't really know what to say. Obviously, it lets a lot of people down that I can't even go out there, but physically it's just impossible.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, in the time frame it took last time, it was close to 11 weeks. I mean, if you count them down now, that's getting into Australia, which is unbelievable. But all I could do is really hope for the best. I won't be doing anything for a month. I don't think I can even jog for quite a few weeks. I'll just have to play it week by week. Hopefully it gives me enough time to be ready to go for Australia. I mean, obviously at this point I have no idea. There's also trainer here, if you want to ask any questions.

CATHY ORTEGA: I think one important thing to say, Lindsay, as the other true champions on our tour, was prepared to go out and play today. Had she been able to do so, she would have definitely been able to give us a show and be entertaining. We would have had a good match with Serena, I'm sure. She wasn't able to do so because of pain. The official diagnosis is a bone contusion, so it's a recurrence from her injury earlier this year.

CATHY ORTEGA: Yes. It's the right tibial contusion, the tibia being one of the bones of the knee.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It happened at 6-2 in the tiebreak in the third set. Obviously, at that point I have no idea the ramifications. Obviously, if it had been a couple games earlier, I could not have finished. I served one ball. She hit a backhand in the middle of the court. I hit a winner. That's a match. Obviously I feel a little bad now that that happened. There is absolutely no way if it happened earlier I would have finished. I had trouble even walking off the court. You know, a lot of people were giving me a hard time not really being happy yesterday. I kind of knew I was in a lot of pain and maybe a little bit of trouble. So, I mean, no, I went over it a thousand times in my mind last night. I wish I had lost and there would be a final. It happened at the second to the last point. It's incredibly unlucky for everyone involved.

BART McGUIRE: First of all, I want to thank Lindsay for coming up here and being as candid with you all, making the effort at this time, and congratulate her as a great champion. She's won three consecutive tournaments. She won all of her matches here. She's become No. 1 in the world. It's just been a spectacular end to the year. We're all sorry that it happened this way. But, Lindsay, thank you and congratulations. For the Sanex WTA Tour, we obviously apologize to the fans, to the City of Munich. As Lindsay says, it's one of those incredibly unfortunate things when you have an injury at a time when she's able to conclude the match with a winner, hoped she was going to be able to play, but was unable to do it. What we are going to do, we are going to have the doubles match go on first, I believe, and then Anke Huber is going to come out of retirement and do a show match with Serena. There will be an exhibition for the fans, a show match for the fans. I think Anke and Serena will put on a good show. But the doubles, we're planning on putting that on first, and that will be carried live on ARD. I did want to say a couple of things about this Championships here. The promotion has been spectacular. I congratulate all of the promoters, Event Marketing, Bill Dennis, Global Tennis, Octagon. The facilities for the fans, for the sponsors, for the players. I hope for the press have been to the same standard that they have done for many, many years in the Grand Slam Cup. We're particularly grateful to the City of Munich and the Olympiahalle, who have been partners. I've said before you learn who your friends are and your good partners are in the hard times. This has been a hard time because of September 11th and the aftermath of that. It's been a hard time even coming up to now. Obviously, with this event, it's a harder time. It is our responsibility as partners to the promoters and the Olympiahalle to figure out in what method we can give back to them, and with will certainly be doing that. I just want to thank you, to apologize to you, and to look ahead to a continuation of this partnership.