L. DAVENPORT/N. Dechy

2 6, 7 6, 6 4

An interview with:

LINDSAY DAVENPORT
 

THE MODERATOR: First question for Lindsay, please.

Q. How would you describe that match and that experience?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: This whole tournament has been such an awkward and different experience. You know, comparing it to the US Open, I was playing so well and felt like everything was going my way, not a problem. And get to the semis, a little injury comes up, and don't make it through.
Here, I feel like I'm not playing that well, I'm struggling through all these matches, and I'm in the finals. There's no way you can possibly prepare for what happens in Grand Slam tennis any more.

Q. You said a little injury came up in the semifinals. Did a little injury come up in the semifinals here?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. You know, after when I woke up this morning, I just felt pretty tight all over. My body obviously just played a lot of tennis yesterday, and going back out for the doubles certainly stiffened me up. But it's definitely not injured like the US Open. It's definitely a little stiff, but it's not injured.

Q. What's the prognosis between now and Saturday?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, hopefully it's okay. I mean, I get treatment all the time, night and morning and day. So hopefully it just keeps loosening up.

Q. It's what exactly?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Just my left hip flexor.

Q. Was there a time you thought you might lose that match?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, yeah. Making as many errors and I was making and not feeling like I could even keep that many balls in, being down I think a set and maybe 4 1 or 4 2 in the tiebreak. I mean, it's not you know, I was still hopeful, but wasn't looking good.

Q. What were you thinking at 1 4 in the breaker?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: "Wow." That's pretty much it.

Q. And how much did getting through yesterday help you today, as far as the mental aspect of it?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, I'd have to say mentally I was definitely a little bit just tired and maybe a little flat out there for a semifinal. After winning the second set, I thought, "Okay, I have this momentum, I need to stick with it." And I did. I mean, I was up 4 2, got broken back in 4 All. But I still felt like went much better in the third than I did the first two sets.
Yeah, I mean, these two matches I've come through, I was fortunate to come through both of them. And sometimes they fall your way, sometimes they don't. And hopefully, you know, Saturday I look at as a big opportunity against a player with tons of experience. I'm going to have to play really well, and hopefully that inspires me to loosen up and hit some better shots.

Q. Is it just a question of feeling loose on the serve especially or is it a physical issue, too?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think so. I don't know. I don't know what to say (smiling).
I just feel like I've just been fighting myself and struggling out there. Just really making a lot of careless errors, missing balls that were maybe going in last year. Who knows.
Like I said, it's funny how it's worked out here and not in New York or not somewhere else.

Q. Is it possible, given the amount of time you've had to spend on the court, in the heat, that playing doubles as well could be spreading you too thin?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: There's that possibility (smiling).
But, you know, having said that, four years ago, I was in the finals here with Corina. Three and a half months later I got a call from her family saying she was in critical condition in the hospital with leukemia. If someone had told me at that time four years later we'd have another opportunity to play in the finals of doubles here, I would be forever grateful, and that's how I look at it.

Q. How did waiting out and I assume watching that first match affect your mental preparation?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was exciting. I was watching most of the third set. Didn't watch too much in the beginning. I saw the very end of the second. And then watched a lot of the third.
It was an exciting match to watch. A lot of tension and a lot of drama. Very impressed with Serena. I thought she did an excellent job coming back, kept her cool. Now, maybe I shouldn't watch that next time. Came out a little flat (laughter).
But it was a great match.

Q. Is it weird, going out there knowing who your opponent is going to be if you win?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I wasn't looking at it in that respect at all. Just looking at it like more as an interested observer, not so much as I was not looking ahead at all. That was not the problem today.

Q. Did your recent experiences in Grand Slam semis in the last year teach you anything about taking this match on mentally?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, it might have differently. It seems like the turnaround from yesterday was so fast, and after the doubles last night. All I really worried about last night and this morning was physically being ready to play this match. There wasn't enough time to really think about what was happening, what round it was, and whatever.
But, you know, it was just maybe it was experience, I don't know. But felt like at the end a couple times when it was a little bit closer, she made some errors before I did.

Q. What do you typically try to do after matches when you feel like you've lost some of your sharpness?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, it's tough. I mean, ideally you'd like to go work on it, but physically you've got to conserve some energy. I don't know what I'm going to do (laughing). I'm going to try and do some stuff before playing doubles tomorrow, maybe work on a few things in the doubles.
But, you know, we play a very good team tomorrow in doubles. We'll be able to, you know, try and return some hard serves and practice for Saturday, and maybe go for a few returns, and hopefully things will click. I mean, my game's obviously there. It's just a little bit off from where I'd ideally want it to be. I don't think it's far away.

Q. What can you take from your last two meetings with Serena, where you won those two matches, that would have some context here?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, hopefully a lot of things. I mean, you know, before I played her last year and beaten her two times, I had lost to her a number of times in a row. Definitely have seen her play a lot recently, and feel like obviously I have some confidence winning. Before, like I said, I went in with a bad record.
I'm going to have to play well and I'm going to have to not let her dictate, and go for shots, you know, have fun doing it. Against a player like that, you know that's what you have to do. Sometimes it's a little easier to focus on the task at hand, and I'll go out there hopefully knowing that.

Q. You sound as if you're going into it as being the underdog.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I mean, I don't know how people look at it any more. I look at it like I need to play better than I've played to be able to win, and I know I can do that.
But it's still, you know, probably close to 48 hours away, so I haven't given it too much thought.

Q. How does it feel? It's been a long time since you were in a Grand Slam final. What does that mean to you?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, it's like I said, kind of just a little perplexed by it. Because, like I said, I mean, at the US Open, I could have told you everything was going my way, this was it. Here I feel like a lot of things haven't gone my way, except winning the matches, and here I am.
It's funny. I mean, a lot of years where I wasn't sure if I'd have the opportunity to try and win one again. And it's fun. I mean, I'm sure I'll enjoy it maybe a little bit later, a couple more hours after the match. But for now I'm just just hasn't really sunk in I don't think yet.

Q. The validation for last year's decision to some degree?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah. Look dumb now saying that at Wimbledon (laughter). I mean, it was both disappointing Wimbledons and the US Open. So I'm, you know, ecstatic that I get another chance to try and win one.

Q. Is your sister your good luck charm here?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: She left. She left on Sunday. She was (laughter). Yeah, my husband came in, and she left. So they did a trade off. But my whole family is my good luck charm.

Q. More pressure or less when you know really your window of opportunity is shrinking?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Less because if you had told me you know, I mean, at the US Open, I was pretty despondent about the chances of getting back to the final, wasn't sure if I could. And haven't been in one in almost five years. I'm ready.

Q. How do you make sense as badly as Serena could play in that first set and as well as she could play later on in the match?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, that's what we have to try and go through and try and figure ways out. In most sports, you know, the best player is not playing well, they sit on the bench for a while, and other players can pick up the slack. In tennis, you have to figure it out on your own.
I mean, she was definitely struggling even in the second set. I think someone said Maria served for the match.

Q. Twice.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Okay. And, you know, when she kind of I didn't really see what happened in the second, but it looked like in the third it was an even match. I mean, she was up although Sharapova was up for a little while. But she was definitely didn't look as bad as the score line looked in the first set. I don't know exactly what happened. But, you know, that's what you've got to do as a good player: figure out ways to win.

Q. A couple weeks ago you practiced with Nathalie Dechy. You played against her in Sydney. Now you beat her today. How do you think she has improved her game?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think she's improved a lot. I mean, she was taking I think she moves very well. She was getting some balls, hitting some excellent shots back. She takes balls early and hits them back up the line and hits them cross court. I mean, she obviously had a great run here, beat a lot of good players and, you know, was outplaying me for most of the match.

Q. With all the surprise winners of Slams last year, you and Serena back in a final, do you think that reestablishes a bit of the order?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. I don't know. I'm sure both of us are ecstatic to be back. Probably seems like a long time for her. Seems like forever for me. So I don't know if that's necessarily order, but it's something that I'm happy about..