US OPEN

September 13, 1998

Lindsay Davenport

Q. How hard was it to come out and play today?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It wasn't so bad. All along I knew I was going to have to come back out on Sunday. I pretty much enjoyed it. We didn't play great, but they played well and won. It was fun to be back out there. Normally you have to wait a year to get back to that court that holds so many memories, and I only had to wait about twelve hours.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I know, I'm not going to.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I went out -- a big group of us, about 16, we all the went out for my mom's birthday. We went to the Palm Restaurant. We stayed there for a long time. A lot of people were coming up to me in the restaurant and on the street. It's very exciting, very happy. It's just been a great couple of weeks.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, but they took some down, the guy was explaining it to me.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I'm going to stay here for a few days. My family is going to stay with me and we'll do some fun stuff. Then I'm going to go home for about ten days, then it's back to Grand Slam Cup and a couple of tournaments in Europe. I have a tournament in Filderstadt, in Zurich, a couple weeks off, then Philadelphia and then the championships here in New York. Then the year is over .

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It's been a great year. Yeah, I couldn't dream of ever winning this tournament and doing it the way I did and having it been so exiting for myself. Pretty much whatever happens for the rest of the year is really icing on the cake. That everything I really wanted to do, I did so far, and just really enjoy the last couple of months of the year.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: We kept saying it the whole dinner -- "I won the US open." We did about 20 toasts. It was everyone's birthday and then about every ten minutes someone would stand up and give a toast. We were all having a good time. It was almost great after I was done here and before we met to go out, just being by myself for a half hour was really nice, just sitting down and relaxing and thinking about it for a little bit. Realizing that I accomplished a goal. It's really tough in life to set out and achieve your goals and I really felt that I did that.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Just in my room, nowhere great. I didn't go out.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know if I got stuff because of the Olympics or if it wasn't -- I really don't know. I have no idea if the stuff I got was because the Olympics, I never asked.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think so.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't care. I have no idea. I didn't do it for that reason. Whatever happens is fine. I don't have any idea.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think the last couple of years practicing hard and setting out a goal where I wanted to win a Grand Slam. In the same case, I wanted to give myself every opportunity to win one. Be in the best shape I could be, try my hardest, and then if it doesn't work out you can't regret anything. Coming into this tournament I did everything possible that I could do. If I could win it would be great, but even if I didn't I would still know I tried my hardest and did everything I could. It worked out that I won. Things just fall into place for reasons, you can't describe them -- people were saying in California she's peaking too soon, and I would just laugh and say, "Well, whatever."

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I don't think so. I don't remember anything specific about tennis or anything.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, obviously a lot. He has been with me for a lot of years, worked very, very hard with me, been very patient, pushed me very hard, it's been great to do it obviously when he's with me he has been with me like six years and we worked so hard for it.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have to get up early to do some TV shows in the morning, I don't think that's rewarding myself. I really don't know, one of my sisters has never been here in the city. We'll probably just walk around and shop. I don't plan on buying myself anything or doing anything like that. I really haven't had any time to spend time in the city, just try to enjoy the city. I like Central Park a lot, I like walking around.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I pretty much have chosen the ones I want to be on.

JIM FUHSE: It's not set yet.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I've given my opinion of what I want and what I don't want.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Maybe, we'll see.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Uh-huh, you'll see when I'm on one that that's the one I wanted to be on.

JIM FUHSE: We have time for one more question she has to do a photo shoot.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I talk to her a lot. I don't think she's ever pulled me aside and said let me give you advice. She's someone I've known since I am little, we are from the same area. But in terms of, you know, I think she was always just, good luck have fun, she's been very supportive and very sweet. You know sometimes players come up and say well you should have done this, and she's never been like that. I haven't talked to her yet about winning the U.S. Open.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Who knows, the stuff that happened on the court it's all a blur -- first one you are so happy. I think I said afterwards we went back to the hotel before we went out to dinner, I went -- I was by myself for a half hour, thinking about what I had done, that I accomplished the goal that I wanted to do. You can't describe things like that. You put so many goals in your life and you hope you can achieve some of them in your life and I was able to do the one I most wanted to do. Now you have to look for other ones.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Right.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You always read articles that people say she is never going to win the big one. I would say that's not very smart, I've got a lot of years left in my career. People are going to say what they want, they're pretty dumb. I'm just going to go out there and try my best. I practice very hard to do everything I could and won the one I wanted to win. Right now I feel like if I didn't win another, it's fine. Who knows what happens. I'm really happy it was this one and the Olympics.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I talked to her last night. I had the most messages. It was like, you have 23 messages. And I said, oh, my god. I haven't called anybody back yet, it's really bad. Before the match Billie just said, "You know what you have to do." I nodded, I know she was telling me I knew what I had to do. I knew everything I could do and I could do it. And I did it and she called me back and she said I'm really proud of you, you looked great, you couldn't be happier and that's what she said.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: They are all pretty significant. I had some friends on the men's tour that called, that was really nice. When you hear from other players that means a lot because you know it was like -- I'm not going to tell you who, I can see you going like -- it's funny, the first call I got, and I'll never forget it, was from a guy that plays on Tour, his name is Brian McPhie. He called and he said it was 3:27 and I just won match point and he called and was screaming in the phone. Those are the ones you remember, the people that you play with. I went through the whole list. You just know a lot of people, friends of mine are very happy for me, it was a great feeling.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I am going to listen to them today.

JIM FUHSE: She's got to do a photo shoot.