The California connection at the US Open has always been strong. With Billie Jean King, Michael Chang, Tracy Austin, Pete Sampras, the Bryan Brothers, Venus and Serena Williams, legions of sun-kissed talents have habitually marched into New York and left carrying US Open silverware. Former World No.1 and three-time Grand Slam singles champion Lindsay Davenport is another name on that list of luminaries. The Palos Verdes, California, native first played the singles draw in 1991 as a 15 year old. Seven years later, she would take home the singles title, a year after claiming the doubles title with Jana Novotná.
Davenport, who held the No.1 ranking for 98 weeks and won three Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam doubles titles, is one of five women to have held the WTA’s year-end No.1 ranking at least four times.
USOpen.org caught up with Davenport via US Open sponsor Emirates Airline to talk about the 2020 US Open, the challenges that the tournament and the tours have had to overcome to be here, the advocacy of Naomi Osaka, the revival of Victoria Azarenka, and Davenport’s own overwhelming run to her first major singles title at the 1998 US Open.
Q: Have you ever been through the kind of craziness that players are dealing with in 2020, and what is your take on how they are dealing with it?
Lindsay Davenport: I have certainly never seen anything like this. The only thing that I could maybe even compare it to would be 9/11 and the aftermath of that—and that would not be the same on a global scale. To see the whole tennis tour shut down, to see businesses around the world, to see how it has globally impacted everybody and their way of life and their way of doing things. I think that has been the most jarring. Everyone has had to learn to do things differently.
I think the players, to suddenly have their careers and their livelihoods taken away, has been a huge issue. The good news is that we are starting to bounce back, and starting to get tournaments back, trying to restart this tour.
Q: What is your take on how the 2020 US Open has gone, given all the challenges?
LD: When I first heard about it, I think it was in late April or maybe early May, and at that time, it seemed like a crazy ask that they were going to try and put this tournament on in New York, which at that point was really the epicenter of COVID-19. It was just amazing to see how everything evolved, how the plans came to fruition.
You have to get the support of the players, you have to get the support of the sponsors and everybody involved. Obviously the health authorities. I think it also signals that we are getting back to business. It goes across the world. Tennis opens, businesses start opening, travel starts to open up again. That was a big thing: How are we going to get the players to the US Open? So I think it’s been remarkable to be able to sit back and watch it on TV. Even though we can’t be there, most of us, it gives us something to watch and I think it gives us a little bit of hope for the future.
Q: Fans aren't the only thing we are missing at this year's Open, we're also missing Mike and Bob Bryan: Could you comment on the legacy they leave behind on the doubles court and how much they'll be missed?
LD: I grew up with Bob and Mike here in southern California—I mean I’ve known them since I was eight or maybe nine years old, and I saw them playing junior tournaments all around here. It’s just been remarkable to see their evolution and how they grew up. They always played for each other, and they’re a very tight family. At all the local tournaments here in the juniors, they would default to each other all the time. They just didn’t want to compete against each other and the priority was doubles. I could see that starting at like nine years old.
And then to become the greatest duo of all-time while still keeping that great excitement and energy, it’s been a treat. I’ve been on Olympic teams with them—they’re amazing people. Their energy and their enthusiasm is going to be missed day-to-day on tour. I have high hopes that they’ll still be involved in our sport and I’m also thrilled to see where they are personally, they’ve both never been happier. Bob has three kids and you see Mike now with his little baby—it’s been pretty awesome.
Q: What’s your take on the tour being back in action and the level of play we are seeing?
LD: I’m so impressed first of all with all the players and the level we’ve seen across the board at the US Open. For the players, it was so different in lockdown. The players didn’t have access to practice courts, everything just kind of shut down, depending on where you were, it really affected the player's preparation.
We’ve talked about how things are opening back up and you can see it with the players and their level. So thrilled that so many made it to the US Open.
Now you have a lot of hope for where the tour is going and seeing all these players are committed to continuing to play this season. Everyone is going to go to Europe, I’m thrilled that things are back up and running, the tournaments, all of it. Now we have the chance to see the level get better and better, now the challenge is that we have to get these players over to Europe safely and I think that’s really where it’s going to be important that the travel is back up.
One of the main sponsors of the US Open, Emirates Airline, is doing such a good job of keeping people healthy on the planes, and everything that they’re doing to help travel kick back up, all of that is going to help the tour start back up. And that’s what we hope, that we see all these players continue to play and continue to improve.
Q: Yes, Roland Garros in less than two weeks?
LD: We’ve got to get them there. We have to get them there quickly and get them there safely, we want the tennis tour to keep going.
Q: I want to ask you about Jennifer Brady because she has really been impressive. What’s your take on her rise?
LD: Jen Brady is an amazing story. [With] her fitness and her commitment last fall to get in better shape to commit to going to Europe and training there, she deserves it. She’s an incredibly hard worker, and I love how she plays with her big forehand, backhand, all of that.
Q: How about Victoria Azarenka, what do you make of her dazzling play?
LD: For years I have been trying to figure out what was missing from Azarenka’s game. What made her struggle with results? We obviously knew she was struggling off the court and now we are all sitting here and asking, “Okay what’s clicked the last few weeks? Why has she played so much better?”
Q: Do you think the fact that Naomi Osaka is playing with purpose, advocating for social justice and #BlackLivesMatter, makes her a more focused athlete on the court?
LD: I think so. We’ve seen her just totally blossom in two years. From a very shy, reluctant champion to someone who is so comfortable now speaking out on very difficult topics. I’m so impressed with how she has evolved and changed, and a lot of credit to her family. You know when you raise your kids, you raise them to a certain age and then hopefully give them the tools to go out in this world and then be able to succeed and be a great person, be a leader, be confident—and that’s exactly what her family has allowed her to do. We’ve seen her go from being quite shy and timid to now being the leader of women’s tennis and speaking out on social injustice and Black Lives Matter and topics that can be quite challenging. But to see her have the confidence to lead by example that resonates in the locker room and to the other players and it’s great.
Q: And her tennis looks like it is there as well.
LD: She’s playing awesome. I mean she was my pick for the US Open, if she was healthy. We didn’t know about her leg. But she looks healthy, so happy to see that.
Q: How have you viewed the use of Hawk-Eye Live on the outside courts at the US Open? How would you rate it?
LD: I think it’s been great. I loved seeing it at the Western & Southern Open. I have always been of the belief that playing conditions should be the same for players on all courts, so I’ve never liked, even in the beginning with the challenge system, if you remember when it was first started, and I’m not even sure if it was ten years ago, 15 years ago, whenever it was, it was only on a couple of courts. It started to evolve. Indian Wells put it on all the courts a bunch of years ago and that put a lot of pressure on other tournaments.
I just feel like it no matter if you are playing on Court 16 in a second-round match, that means the same as if you’re playing on Arthur Ashe in the second round, so you should be playing under the same kind of rules and regulations. I think Hawk-Eye Live has done great, but I certainly don’t want to take any jobs away. I would just like to see the playing conditions be the same, but certainly I have a lot of confidence in that system.
Q: How did winning the Open in 1998 change your life and what is the memory that sticks with you from that run?
LD: It’s a lot. I don’t know. I first played there in 1991 as a 15 year old and ended up winning there as a 22 year old in 1998 and it was always really tough for me to believe that I could achieve the highest, like my ultimate goal. I was able to do that, which was a little bit overwhelming for me. I’m glad I was a little bit older because it was still hard to handle the emotions of it and the success that went with it.
But I look back now and I can’t believe I was able to do it. It’s quite overwhelming when you are an American and that’s your No. 1 goal and your lifelong dream comes true.
Now I have four kids and we go back there and they just think it’s hilarious. They say “Oh, that doesn’t even look like you.” But trying to see how the players handle it at this stage in this day and age is pretty crazy. It’s a lot more difficult to play these days with social media attention. It’s obviously a whole new world right now, playing and trying to navigate this pandemic and everything that goes with that.
I look back with fond memories. It’s always been my favorite tournament, it’s always been the craziest tournament. Everyone’s had to make adjustments with no fans, and they are doing a good job of that. I don’t know I could have handled that. Again there’s a lot of changes for the players, no fans, the travelling, everybody is just trying to stay safe and healthy and that is really the most important thing right now, whatever you can do to maintain that.
Q: And to clarify, did you really skip a TV date with David Letterman after winning the title in 1998?
LD: Yep. It was hard. There was a lot coming at me. I was trying to just do what helped me feel comfortable. And you know, I stick to that, I really do. Even in my life now, if I don’t feel comfortable doing something, I don’t do it. And David Letterman was one of those examples, but honestly, if I don’t feel great about something, I’ve never been shy to speak up about not doing it, so, you know, I said no.
