L. Davenport - Day 8
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Q. When you got up this morning, was there still some stiffness?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: A little bit. Yeah, it was a little bit stiff. Not as bad
as I thought I'd be. Physically I felt pretty good out there.
You know, it was really important for me to try and come back and kind of
consolidate this great win I had yesterday and not have a letdown and try and
continue to do the best I can. I mean, I figured I'd be a little bit tired.
But I thought I handled it pretty well.
Most importantly I feel healthy at this point. I have a day off. Hopefully
everything will keep going the way it's been going.
Q. Watching you from the stands, you can't know how someone is feeling, but
we felt there were more errors than yesterday. It was like you needed a half
hour to get some rhythm going.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was hard. I didn't feel at any point of the match that
I really had any rhythm. The points were pretty short. We were both kind of
making errors, some big serves. So it was just a totally different match in
that regard. I don't think I got nearly as many returns in today as I was
able to do yesterday and really work my way into points.
So I felt in that regard that it was a much more erratic match, where the
points were just going fast, didn't know quite what was going to happen.
You know, sometimes that's grass court tennis for you. Yesterday I played
really well. Today maybe not as well. But did well enough.
Q. Last year you talked here about retirement. This may be old news, but what
was going on last year that made you even talk about it?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I really at that time felt totally -- I believed in what I
said. I hadn't felt like I really contended in a Grand Slam. Even though I
was doing okay, I never really believed in the quarterfinals that I was going
to pull through and win. I certainly, after experiencing the kind of success
I had throughout my career, didn't want to be just out there to make Round of
16, quarters, hope to get a semi one time.
You know, obviously was looking forward to, after playing such a long career,
of doing some different things, kind of starting a different life. But all of
a sudden after I kind of opened my big mouth, started playing a lot better,
started believing for the first time in a couple years exactly what I was
capable of doing.
You know, now it's so far from my mind, I can't even think really right now
of stopping. I feel really excited to still be where I'm at. I have a lot of
opportunities ahead of me. Looking forward to the challenges that are still
presenting themselves.
Q. Did you do anything last year, say good-bye to Wimbledon, pinch a blade of
grass or anything?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I didn't. I'm not really like that anyway. But I
didn't. I mean, I was -- I was not -- I'm not quite that nostalgic yet.
Q. Could you talk about some of the adjustments you may have to make in your
game when you play someone like Mauresmo, who might come in a bit more? Is
your policy to just play your own game irrespective of who's across the net?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, it's actually both, which is funny. It's going to be
a totally different match-up than any of the girls I've played here so far.
I'm going to see somebody at the net trying to come in all the time. I'm
going to see a lot of slice backhands; I'm going to see some serve and
volleys. In that regard, I think I do have to take into consideration how my
opponent is going to play.
I've always believed that if I can return well and serve well and do those
couple things well on grass that I'm going to be okay. I'm going to have to
probably aim my returns a little bit differently because she will be coming
in. I'm going to have to try and mix up my second serve so she's not always
looking at the same return trying to come in. And try and be the one keeping
her on the baseline with hard, deep shots and not letting her move her way
forward.
Q. You talked about your change in career fortunes, how it suddenly improved
last year. Is there anything you can look to that you changed in your game
that suddenly made that change in your career?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think it actually might have been a lot of the stuff I
was doing off the court. I started working with a different trainer pretty
hard like in October of 2003. You know, I spend far less time on the practice
court now than I ever have and spend a lot more time in the gym. Just feel
like that probably gave me some more confidence. It got me into a little bit
better shape.
I think that the kind of cutting back on the tennis has made me actually play
better and enjoy it more. Obviously, I've played for so long, I don't need to
be hitting hours and hours a day. If I can just keep my timing up and work on
some stuff off the court, I feel like that's really all I need right now.
Q. Did your admission that you were thinking of retirement liberate you in
any way?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, people have said that. But I didn't -- I didn't
feel it personally. You know, some people have said, "Maybe just talking
about it helped." I don't know. It didn't feel like it did. It made me more
sad actually when I got to tournaments thinking about it.
I don't know. I didn't -- I don't think so, but I don't know.
Q. Maybe subconsciously?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Maybe.
Q. There's been talk that after you and Venus and Serena, there doesn't seem
to be any great young players coming along as there have been for many, many
years in the United States. Do you feel that, like you're the last of a
group, this is maybe the last hurrah?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, it seems like that. We've had so many great
American players the last two decades at the top and winning Slams. You know,
if you were to take the three of us out, and Jennifer, even though she's
injured, doesn't seem too bright.
But, you know, you never know if that cycle can change. Hopefully it will. I
just think right now in the States, girls are just picking different sports.
And I think it's really important that we get back to getting tennis back out
there, in commercials, in little girls' lives.
It's funny, because if you look, I mean, apparently all the most famous
female athletes are tennis players, but it seems like most of the girls in
the United States are now going towards other sports. So we've just got to
try to pull them back, have a bigger pool to work from, I think.
Q. You see soccer and golf? Do you talk to anybody about it at all?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I do a little bit. I mean, interesting, I had a
conversation with my mom. My mom has run Junior volleyball for 25 years in
Southern California. She was telling me that it's 10 times more girls playing
between 18s, 16s, 14s, and 12-and-unders than even 10 years ago, the people
that she has to organize.
I know volleyball is one, especially in Southern California. But I'm sure
soccer and the success the Olympic team had drew a lot of fans. Even
basketball, softball, just a lot more sports right now.
Q. You would have been a great soccer player.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't think so (laughter). I think that's a joke. That's
not really nice.
Q. We have two very good 13-year-old players out there that you saw at Fed
Cup, Asia Muhammad. How good do you think they could be?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: They were great. And they're young enough. A lot of times
we see players that are already 17, 18. I had a great time with those two at
Fed Cup. Very athletic. Very sweet. Very good. I think they can do well. Of
course, I haven't been the greatest judge of 13-year-old players.
I think they're remarkable. In practicing with them, they were good.
Q. Compared to where you were when you were 13?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't even know how I was at 13. I have no idea.
Q. Do you feel you're playing as well now as you were when you were winning
Slams?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I feel like I'm better. I mean, I feel like I have -- I
feel like I'm overall a better player. I mean, there's no way the game -- the
game is so much better now than it was in the mid to late '90s that I think
I've done a good job with staying with all the improvements and being able to
improve my game.
But there's no question that physically I'm a better athlete, and I believe a
smarter player, and so is everyone else.
Q. Do you ever watch tapes of yourself?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Never (smiling).
Q. You don't want to see how far you've come?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Maybe when I'm done. Honestly, I can swear that there's
never any videos in the VCR of me playing or any kind of reminiscing quite
yet.
Q. What has been the key to getting some of these monkeys off your back? You
got Svetlana twice, Kim twice. What is going on there?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I think I've done a good job with turning around
some of the losses that I've had to some girls. Not sure why. I mean, I feel
like I've learned a lot from the losses that I have had, how to try and play
these girls a little bit differently. You know, a little bit of confidence,
probably a little bit of luck. Hopefully, like I said, just playing a little
bit better out there.
Q. Three of the last four semifinalists from last year, but Maria was the
unknown then. Talk about her progress in the last year, what you see from
her.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I think she's done remarkably well. I think she's
improved a lot as a player between now and last year. I think she's kind of
in the last year become one of the most famous, for sure athletes, if not
personalities around the world. She seems to have handled it really well and
is still improving. Still very young.
She's playing well. I mean, I watched a little bit of her match today against
Petrova. I think she's very good on grass, very confident on it. I mean, I
expect her to be a top player for a long time. She seems like she has
everything really going for her.
Q. If somebody had said to you after last year's semifinal that in 2005 you
would be in the semifinal again, what do you think you would have said to
that person?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have no idea. I mean, I wouldn't have believed it at the
time. I'm really excited to have another opportunity, be able to go out there
and try yet again to get to the finals and go farther in a Grand Slam.
I mean, I had such great opportunities last year, and didn't quite work out
for me. But to come back again a year later and be in the same position is
pretty rewarding.
Q. You spoke about getting a bigger talent pool in America. Aside from
Americans winning huge tournaments like this and The Open, do you have any
thoughts of things that might be done to get that bigger pool?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I do not. That's why we have the USTA and all these other
great foundations and corporations.
But, I mean, the biggest thing out there is you want to show tennis to
everybody. You want to get schools out there watching. You want to be on TV.
You want to be in commercials. You want to get the word around, just get
people playing more, families playing more, making tennis more accessible to
everybody.
Q. Have you talked to Mary at all? She's on an autumnal run. You're a
veteran. Do you sit around and laugh how great this is?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: We're friendly, but we don't have any deep conversations
or anything.
Q. When you think about Amelie Mauresmo, you think about her talent, but you
also think about the fact that she is increasingly mentioned as one of the
best players that has never won a Grand Slam. Nobody debates she's had some
emotional crises to confront, particularly at the French Open. Does that come
into play in a semifinal at a Grand Slam where you've won, you're emotionally
stable about it, and maybe she isn't?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I hope so (laughter). I hope that definitely comes
into play.
Besides the fact that I'm going to play her, I do believe in her, and I do
believe that she is good enough and strong enough to one day come through
these situations. I hope it's not Thursday, but...
We'll see what happens if it gets close. I'm certainly going to do my best
and keep trying and hanging in there even if I'm down against her. But I will
say she does seem a little bit more relaxed this year than I have seen her.
Having said that, she still hasn't come through. I think she's got a lot of
game, and most importantly I'm going to worry about that.
Q. The tiebreaker in today's match, my impression is that Svetlana in a
couple cases has not played her best at really critical moments in matches.
As you went into the tiebreak, was that anyplace in your mind?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: That wasn't. As I went into the tiebreak, I was wondering
why we were in a tiebreak because I just served for the first set. You know,
it doesn't. I was really more worried about my game. I think she's a really
great player. She just goes for a lot of shots. I knew she'd come up with
some fantastic winners and I knew she'd give me some errors.
You know, the first few points of the tiebreak, I thought I played pretty
solidly and was able to build a good lead, and that really helped. But she
does go for a lot. Especially on grass when it's so quick, you get some bad
bounces, I definitely got a lot of free points out there.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 140.112.211.147