US OPEN

September 11, 1998

Lindsay Davenport

Q. You made it?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I did (laughter). You mean in here? I'm just kidding. Yeah, you know, it's a terrific feeling. You know, losing in three, you know, giving myself more and more chances to get back there. But if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely pick to do it here at the US Open. You know, it's just everything's worked out great. I wouldn't trade anything that's happened in the last year or two. I've got one more match to go.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think so. I think it's actually more positive for me to play again tomorrow. I kind of like to keep it going and play again tomorrow, just like a normal tournament. You know, you have a big win, you've got to get over it, play again the next day. Hopefully, that will happen. This time, I came to the US Open not to lose in the semis. My goal was to try and win it here. Tonight, my thoughts will be on Martina for tomorrow.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think I've got to go for my shots. I'm probably going to have some unforced errors tomorrow, but I think I really have to be aggressive. I have to attack her second serve. I think I can't let her dictate the points around. That means going for some thoughts and being aggressive.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Really, you know, at 5-4, I was just trying to be calm and tell myself, you know, to serve a good game out. Against Coetzer, it was kind of a shaky game. I really wanted to serve good first serves, put this thing away from the beginning, put a good first serve in. I knew the return was going long, and really it was just -- it was relief, it was happiness, it was joy obviously getting to my first final. Really just almost like you can't believe it. I mean, no one ever said when I was growing up I was ever going to be any good or get to a Grand Slam final, or in my teens I wasn't expected to do anything. I think I've really proven a lot of people wrong. I think I've, you know, tried so hard to do the best I can. I'm not the most unbelievable athlete, I'm not anything. I just tried so hard to get where I'm at. I think it's great.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Definitely. That's something -- another thing I've been working on, is just to be calm, be mentally tougher, not to worry about bad points. As soon as I got up the break, you know, I just said, "From now on, just be calm, don't let anything bother you, play smart, and you're going to win this match." I was able to do that for the last couple of games.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. Really, I was a little bit worried about my elbow going in. After the match went on, I kind of realized, you know, it's feeling a lot better, it's doing pretty good. I was able to really relax my arm a lot and serve a lot better. I think I held my serve throughout the second set, which was a big change from the first when there were so many breaks. But it was great to get over that. I got broken so many times the first set, kept coming back so many times to break her back, served the set out, and continued to hold my serve the rest of the match.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think maybe. I think she wasn't going for her shots as much, trying maybe to be a little more consistent, it was giving me a little bit more time to set up. I knew if I had the opportunity, I really had to go for the shot. I was able to do that. But really I think the key was probably a few less unforced errors on my part, just playing a little bit more solid on some bigger points. And that's kind of how matches turn around.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I mean, people never say anything nice really, not too many people (laughter). I'm serious. So I just kind of said, "Okay, that's fine." But, you know, everyone says, you know, when people are young, "They're going to be great. They're going to be great." No one ever said anything to about me. I was never a prodigy, I was never going to be any good. For me, I think I've just maximized everything I've had, tried harder, just let people say what they want. Maybe it bothered me a little bit in my early teens, my mid teens, but I kind of realized after a certain point, there's no use in listening to it or arguing with it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I just kind of laughed. If anyone has the most right, I think Jana and I do, to say we're going to be No. 1. You don't hear us doing that. We're going to let our play talk for ourselves, and we'll see what happens at the end of year.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: What color was that seventh going to be? I wanted to know that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: That was good (laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have the same outfit, but a lot of them. I don't know how many.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think she had a phenomenal year last year. Think she had one of the best years a woman can have in women's tennis. I think that always kind of comes to an end a little bit. I think she is a little bit more beatable this year. I think players have played her a little smarter maybe. But she's still No. 1; she's still a great player. You know, I think she -- I don't know if she got bored, but she even said she lost her will a little bit in the beginning, in the middle of the year. Some other people got it from her. So tomorrow, it's just going to be a tough match. She's obviously been in the finals a lot more than I have. I'm just going to have to go for it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Probably. I played her a couple weeks ago in Stanford. When I got up a set and a break, she called an injury time-out. I kind of was laughing that she might do that joking before the match. And then she did it. I was like, "Oh, God." But, that's too bad. Hopefully, she had to go to the bathroom. I don't know if she did. But it's happened a lot with all those players. They all seem to be doing it. I think it's terrible. I'm not saying she didn't have to go to the bathroom, but I think it's just almost become like a gamesmanship. And I don't like it. I've never taken a bathroom break I don't think in my six-year history, and there's been more this year than ever.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think the rule should be you have to take it in the first two, three games of a set, or you have to take it if it's your serve coming up, or if it's past 4-All or 3-All in the second, you lose a point or something. I just think it happens too much this year to be, you know, a legitimate rule almost.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Venus is a great example. She's a tremendous athlete, probably the best one that plays tennis. For me, I have to stick to the things that I do well, that's hitting groundstrokes, that's for me being aggressive, probably not being on the defense, and keeping the other people off balance. And that's really what I concentrate on. When I play another hard hitter, I try to keep the hit -- try and get the first shot at the ball so she can't step in. Today that was my strategy. It paid off. You know, there were a few errors on Venus' part. That was the difference.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, that's tough to say. I mean, we've both had great results this year. You know, she's a lot younger than me, and she could turn out to be a way better player. I think I've just played a couple more years and have maybe played a little bit of smarter matches when we've played. It's too hard to compare players, you know, who's better, who's not. I mean, I have a better record against her, but that doesn't mean that's the way it's going to be.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Probably. I like playing aggressive players because I think I can outhit them a lot of times. With Martina, it's a little bit more of a thinking match in terms. Also she gives me more time to get to the ball and set up a lot of times. She doesn't have has good a second serve as Venus. Hopefully I can really try and attack that and win some points that way. Sometimes it is a more difficult match for myself with players who get a lot of balls back and keep them deep, just kind of keep the ball in. Martina is a little bit more aggressive than that. If I keep the balls deep on her and have some time, we've played a lot of times, you know, I still think I can win.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think so. I don't think you can really say This player is going to make it, because it's happened so many times that the players haven't. Sometimes they have. But for me, really I feel like I've done it my own, kind of almost through the back door in the beginning. Just kind of played. You know, no one ever picked me to do well. I just kind of improved, was able to do it out of the spotlight, was able to kind of grow up on my own pace, do everything that I wanted to do before I really set my eyes on tennis. And the last couple years have been great. I think I've improved so much, done so many good, positive things to my game. I kind of ended that (laughter). Sorry.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think in tennis, you don't have to be -- you know, you don't have to jump high, you don't have to necessarily be lightning quick. There's all different types of players that can play tennis. For me, I have good hand-eye coordination, I move fairly well, and I hit the ball hard. Some players like Arantxa, she moves unbelievable, that's what makes her great. I think you can have different strengths that make you a good tennis player.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: My mom, my sister and her husband, and my other sister and her husband are flying in tonight. So I'll have both my sisters and my mom.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not really. I mean, I looked at this as a good opportunity to get to the finals, knowing that I could beat my opponent. I never try and worry about who's more popular, who gets more press, you know, anything like that. For me, I looked at my other opponents in semifinals, Arantxa, Conchita and Martina. I looked at this one as being my best shot. I thought I had a better match-up against her. That's what I wanted to take advantage of.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think it was during. You kind of play matches where you lose matches because of your attitude. I kind of realized that at the end of last year, beginning of this year. I kind of said I didn't want to go through that again. I've just tried to be positive, tried to be calm, see what happens. I mean, could lose the first set 6-1 tomorrow, be calm, and come back and win. You never know what happens. That's kind of what I've learned.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I mean, I started to make a lot of errors. I just tried to tell myself, You're back to 3-All, let's try and keep it going from there. I was able to do that. I didn't get down. I was having a hard time holding my serve, but I didn't let it bother me. I was able to pull out the first set, which was probably the key.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was watching most of it on TV. I thought it was a great match. That was an unbelievable comeback by Martina. You know, I wasn't watching the match scouting-wise. But I was watching it pretty much as a tennis fan. I thought they had great points. It was a great comeback by Martina.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I was surprised because she was playing well. But I thought Martina wasn't just going to go away. So I thought it would still be a tough match from then. But Martina just stopped missing.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think Steffi can. Just kidding (laughter). Uh-oh. Gosh, Steffi does that well. We've had some good ones. But, you know, I love hitting that. It depends on a given day. But I like my chances in that rally with most players.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, everyone that I've ever worked with has always been very supportive of me, from lie first coach, Robert Lansdsorp, to Robert van't Hof. They're all very supportive. What's great, you know, my coach now isn't doing this if I win a Grand Slam or not. He doesn't care. He just wants to see me get better. He wants to see me do the best I can and see what happens. I don't feel any pressure or anything from anybody that I have to do this.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I think she's getting better. I think being another year on the tour for her and her sister, I think that they feel maybe a little bit more comfortable and are a little bit more social. I mean, it's tough. You know, I don't think they went to school, I think all of a sudden they're thrust into this spotlight with a lot of other players, a lot of girls. They probably didn't know totally how to respond. They're much more friendly now. I think they realize they're going to be around for a long time. I think they're just more used to everybody.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, gosh. I don't know anything like specific, like one saying. But it's important to me to know had that they've always been on my side for six years, that they'll still be on my side if I lose a match. I don't know. I think just their belief in me. They always said, "You can do it. It doesn't matter if you're 20 or 27. You're a good player and it will happen." I think that's been the most important thing, just security in my mind knowing that the people who work with me will always be there.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No (laughter). No. Not until like I take like volley lessons for a year.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, I guess it probably would be. Probably not going to take that approach to it. Probably finish doing all this kind of stuff, go home, be with my family back to the hotel, and just relax. I mean, it's very exciting, but at the same time we've got to get over it and play again tomorrow. You can't get too caught up in this right now. It's been very exciting. It's been a huge goal of mine to get to the finals. Now I'm going to try to take it a step further. I'm going to approach the match like I have nothing to lose, this is my time, I'm going to go for it, and really try and enjoy it, win or lose.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Really, I think for me I have to be attacking from the first couple balls, especially the second serve. I have to serve well. She can get frustrated. I think Martina loses when she's overpowered. I think Martina loses to like a Mary Pierce or a Venus, and myself. You have to overpower her. That's what I'm going to try and do.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. I think everything has just kind of been in the back of my mind, everything that I've learned has been there. Losing matches, winning some close ones. For me really, going on this streak this summer was winning a few close matches at the beginning of the summer, and coming back -- you know, coming into the US Open playing so well and not really losing. I haven't lost a set yet here. I just feel very calm. And I think being in the semis before, I think kind of going through losing and everything else has really helped me through to play well this US Open.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, maybe. I've never not believed in myself. It's great. People will write tomorrow that I'm playing well. If I lose on Sunday, I'll hear, "She'll never win one again." For me, I just keep the attitude like I've improved so much the last couple years. Every year has gotten better, my results have gotten better every year. If it's not meant to be tomorrow, I think I still have a great shot next year. I'm going to go for it tomorrow. This has been my dream, to win the US Open. And tomorrow's my mom's birthday, so it would be great.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, right (laughter). If I said that, that would be like Kiss of Death. Wouldn't matter that I won today (laughter).

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Did he? It would be great. It's my mom's birthday. And another kind of sad thing that's happened, my grandmother passed away two days before the US Open started. So it's kind of been -- the first couple days were bittersweet a little bit. It would be great to be able to do it for both of them.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, my father's mother.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Maybe. I think that they like to see upsets. I think if I play good tennis, I'll have them on my side. And hopefully at the end of day, they'll be behind me.