S. WILLIAMS/L. Davenport

2 6, 6 3, 6 0

An interview with:

LINDSAY DAVENPORT
 

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Lindsay, please.

Q. Could you explain what happened?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I can try. You know, I felt like I was playing well and, you know, in control pretty much of the match, moving the ball around well. Then, you know, just had that horrible lapse at that would have been at 4 3 where I think I was serving up 40 Love. Made a few quicker errors. Right there kind of opened the door for her. She just kept going through it.
She raised her game. She started serving really well and hard. You know, I think at the end, I mean, I definitely was a little bit I think just overall a little bit fatigued. But, you know, she took advantage when she had the opportunity and kept going.

Q. You've had matches before where there have been setbacks like that. You couldn't get out of this one.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I thought she, you know, definitely raised her game a little bit more. Everything started coming in a lot harder. She picked up her serve quite a bit and started moving better, just controlling the points a little bit more.
You know, it's one of those things where, you know, if I could have kept it close in the second and held that game, you know, who knows what could have happened. But I think she's a great frontrunner when she plays. Once she took the lead, she kept playing better and better.

Q. No problems with movement?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I mean, I'm okay. You know, my body's definitely a little bit worn down, but it was okay.

Q. Six breakpoints there at that 2 3 game. If you would have held there, do you think it would have been over?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: If I had broken there, it would have been a good chance. But I felt I did a lot of things right on the points. All of a sudden that was the game where she started serving in the 180s, like 188 on one of the points. It's tough to combat that. She came up with some good shots and it was a good, tough game.
Nothing I can really hang my head about in that game. I'm more disappointed of not holding at the 3 4 game than not breaking. But, no, I thought that game she definitely stepped it up another level. I felt the other game I kind of just gave it to her with a couple errors and a couple double faults.

Q. You said the end, "I hope to be back next year." Has what happened in this fortnight changed your expectations?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, haven't gone there yet. You never know what's going to happen in a year. You know, I hope if I'm back, I know that I'm healthy and feeling good and feel like I have a chance to win. In that regard, I do hope I'll be back.

Q. You played a lot of tennis during the fortnight. In the third set you said you were fatigued. Was it physical or mental fatigue?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, it was definitely physically, you know, was really getting down there for sure. But, you know, I'm sure mentally played some part in it, too.
I think more than anything, just especially this last week, just a lot of hours on the court, just a lot of close, long matches. You know, should have kept it close in two, in the second.

Q. Is that one of your most painful losses in terms of lost opportunities?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I've had much worse. I've had bigger opportunities (laughter).

Q. Do you employ a certain strategy when a player takes a break like you had there today? Is there a routine you go through that you prearrange?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I don't think so. I think that it happens fairly frequently that, you know, players will take injury time outs.
You know, I was starting to stay concentrated on my game which, you know, I did for quite a while. And, you know, the medical time out definitely helped her in terms of getting her better. I felt, you know, in the first set she wasn't serving nearly as hard as she was throughout the second and third sets.
So, you know, as far as on the other side, I think that you just, you know, try and stay focused on yourself and your own game.

Q. Were you able to identify when the injury occurred to Serena? She was able to point out after the game it was at a certain time.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I have no idea. I don't know. I mean, you know, as the match went on, her serve got harder and better. So maybe it was something that some tape helped or I don't know exactly the circumstances.

Q. Could the third set have been any different or played out any differently if you'd had the 10 minute break if the heat rule had been in effect?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No. I mean, I don't know. That's tough to say what would have happened.

Q. In terms of fatigue?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, no I don't know. Second set should have played out differently.

Q. You don't give up until the last point's gone. But did you actually get a sense early in the third sit, "This one's gone"?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think mid to late the latter part of it, she was definitely picking up her game. I felt like I was having some trouble moving towards the end there and, you know, definitely just lost some of the power on my shots.
But, like I said, I think she is a very good frontrunner, and the key is to keep with her and keep it close and hang in there. You know, once she kind of grabbed the second set, she just kept going.

Q. When you were going so well in the second set and you were 3 4 and 40 Love, did it ever go through your mind that, "Yes, I can win this, win another Grand Slam"?
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I think it goes through your mind the whole time. I mean, when you're in the finals, you know that you have a great opportunity. I knew that I was playing well that first set. And midway through the second set, I was still so far from the match, it wasn't like I was serving for the match, like, "Oh, this is it."
But, you know, just that game, I just played a couple loose points. Should not have gotten broken there. But I don't think that was due to the fact that I thought I was close to winning.