Here anything about Lyndsay ...........

WTA Tour - Davenport earns first comeback win

Lindsay Davenport teamed up with Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova to claim the first win of her comeback after the birth of her son Jagger, beating Sophie Lefevre of France and Ipek Senoglu of Turkey 6-3 6 1 at the Bali Classic.

The 31-year old American, who gave birth in June, played doubles at New Haven last month with Lisa Raymond but lost in the opening round.

On Tuesday she will play her first singles match in nearly a year, against fifth seeded Eleni Daniilidou of Greece.

"It's not an easy first match," said Davenport, the 2005 Bali singles champion. "But it's not really about who I play and winning matches. It's hard to put expectations on myself after everything that's happened in the last year.

"I look forward to playing anybody and being out there in a match situation and playing two full sets or three full sets and trying to build points and trying to see where my fitness is.

It's going to be exciting and a good test."

In singles play on Monday, Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei failed to take advantage of several opportunities in the opening three games against Youlia Fedossova of France and then slumped to a crushing 6-0 6-0 defeat in just 50 minutes.

Hsieh, a 15-year old semi-finalist in Bali in 2001, held a game point in the first game, three in the next and two more in the third, but her opponent held off the challenge and the deflated Hsieh folded.

At one stage in the opening set she struck five double-faults in six points, and then failed to earn a game point in the second set.

goooooooooo lyndsay .............

September 11, 2007

Davenport Destoys Daniilidou For Comeback Win

BALI, Indonesia - Two of the Top 4 seeds at the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic were in action on Tuesday, but it was the return of Lindsay Davenport which stole all the headlines on the Indonesian island. The former world No.1 was playing her first competitive singles match for almost a year, but judging by her straight set destruction of Eleni Daniilidou at the $225,000, Tier III event she is intent on making up for lost time.

Davenport's last outing on a singles court was a quarterfinal defeat to Amélie Mauresmo in Beijing last September and her 62 62 win over No.5 seed Daniilidou comes a mere three months after giving birth to her first child, Jagger Jonathan Leach. After an impressive start to the match by both players, the 31-year-old American raised her game to reel off 20 consecutive points and race through the opener. The second set followed a similar pattern to the first and after just 45 minutes on court, Davenport hammered down her ninth ace of the match to secure an impressive victory.

"Obviously with this being my first match after so long out, it was a big challenge," Davenport said about her return to singles action. "I'm really excited with how I played out there and it means a lot to me because I've worked hard for this. You never know what to expect after a long lay-off, but I just tried to keep my concentration and it's great to get the win. There's still lots I can work on, like my movement and timing, but those will come with matches and for the moment I'm just so happy with my performance."

Daniilidou was not the only seed to fall by the wayside on Day 2, as Russia's Yaroslava Shvedova was surprisingly defeated by Chinese qualifier Yuan Meng. The 19-year-old Muscovite was No.8 seed this week, but delivered a poor performance on her way to a 60 61 loss.

Davenport Records First Win Since Return To Tour

After a quiet day on the singles front the four first round doubles matches caught the headlines at the Grand Hyatt Bali, with Lindsay Davenport teaming up with Hantuchova to record the first win of her comeback against Sophie Lefevre and Ipek Senoglu. Their 63 61 triumph sees them through to the quarterfinals where they will meet Ditty and Alina Jidkova, who caused the first upset of the competition with a thrilling 76(7) 67(5) 108 win over No.2 seeds Tatiana Poutchek and Anastasia Rodionova. The other two matches to take to the court saw opening round victories for Akgul Amanmuradova and Sunitha Rao as well as the No.4 seeds Martina Müller and Gabriela Navratilova.

"I'm really excited to be back on Tour," Davenport said of her return to competitive action after giving birth to her first child in June, "it's a great challenge and I'm looking forward to see how I get on this week. My life has changed since becoming a mom, but I still feel I have a lot to give tennis and my love for the sport has never died."

Just as excited to see Davenport back on court was her doubles partner this week, Slovakian No.1 Hantuchova.

"It's brilliant for the sport to have such a great champion like Lindsay back playing," Hantuchova said of Davenport's comeback, "it's exciting to see her back on Tour and it's a real honor for me to play with her this week and hopefully we can have some success together."

Day 2's order of play will see Davenport make her return to the singles arena, facing No.5 seed Eleni Daniilidou in the third match on Centre Court. No.3 seed Patty Schnyder and No.4 Anabel Medina Garrigues will also get their campaigns up and running on Tuesday, with matches against Zhang Shuai and Sandy Gumulya respectively.

Davenport to face Jankovic

Jelena Jankovic will meet Lindsay Davenport in a tantalising quarter final at the Bali Classic after both players claimed straight set victories.
TENNIS 2007 Lindsay Davenport - 0

Neither was particularly happy with her performance. Top seeded Jankovic looked far from comfortable in overcoming Australian left-hander Casey Dellacqua 6-4 6-4 and Davenport struggled to rise above the ordinary as she dismissed fellow American Julie Ditty 6-1 6-4.

Jankovic began by dropping the first four games but then began to show her class against a hard-hitting but limited opponent.

"I didn't have good timing out there and I was making a lot of mistakes," Jankovic said. "I didn't play the way I wanted but a win is a win.

"I didn't practise much after the US Open. I had five days off and didn't do anything and when you're here it's very tough to focus you know. I've been enjoying the place so much."

Davenport looked much more like a player who had not competed for a year than she had in her previous match, doing little more than going through the motions against a modest opponent. Then, after building a 5-2 lead in the second set, she struggled to close out the match.

"I thought I played really well and really consistent, and at the end just started to make a bunch of errors and maybe go for too much," said Davenport. "A couple of points here and there and it could have been one and one but she came up with some good shots and I let some errors in and it got a little closer."

The American is keen to see how she stands up against top opposition after a year away from the game during which she gave birth to her first child.

"This is what I came back to do, to play some matches and try to play some good players, so I'm excited about it," said Davenport. "I don't know what to expect. The court's fast so that does help me but to be honest it probably is a bit soon to play somebody at the very top."

Third seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland was beaten 6-2 5-7 7-5 by Romanian qualifier Sorana Cirstea and fourth seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues was also beaten, losing 7-5 4-6 6-4 to Italian Sara Errani in a battle lasting three minutes short of three hours.

September 14, 2007

Davenport's Fairytale Comeback Continues in Bali

BALI, Indonesia - Lindsay Davenport's Sony Ericsson WTA Tour comeback gained further momentum on Friday when the former world No.1 scored a sensational three-set win over top seed Jelena Jankovic at the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic. Meeting the unseeded American in the semifinals will be another of the week's surprise packages, Sara Errani, while on the other side of the draw at the $225,000, Tier III event Daniela Hantuchova will do battle with Sorana Cirstea.

Davenport has enjoyed a dream week on the idyllic Indonesian island in what is her first tournament in almost 12 months. The 31-year-old American was champion in Bali two years ago and has rekindled the magic this time around, to put herself within touching distance of her first Tour title since Zürich in 2005.

After easing through her opening two rounds, Davenport made an uncharacteristically sloppy start against world No.3 Jankovic and looked lethargic on her way to dropping the first four games. However, from here the three-time Grand Slam Champion promptly reeled off eight straight games to put herself firmly in the driving seat, only to endure another fallow patch as Jankovic roared back into the match to force a decider. The final set was a tight affair, until Davenport broke serve to lead 4-2 and from there closed out the match to secure a memorable 64 26 62 win.

"I never really expected to do as well as I have this week," Davenport said, "but I'm just focusing on one match at a time and so far it's going great. I tried to stay aggressive at the beginning and keep the points short and although I started slowly as the match progressed I started to find my rhythm. At the end she started to get a little upset with a few line calls, so I just tried to capitalize by playing high percentage shots and thankfully I came through."

Standing in between Davenport and a place in the final is the unseeded Errani. The 20-year-old Italian is ranked a lowly No.90 in the world, but has been in fine form this week and in Day 5's first match on Court 1 she thrashed No.7 seed Aiko Nakamura from Japan 61 62 to reach her third Tour semifinal of the year.

"I played really well today," Errani said. "I was seeing the ball so well right from the start of the match and I was hitting it so cleanly and after beating Anabel [Medina Garrigues] on Thursday it's great to get another win over a higher ranked player. Both matches were really perfect and hopefully I can carry on this form in my semifinal."

Newsroom
September 16, 2007

Lindsay Davenport
© CBTC
Davenport Makes Winning Return to Action in Bali

BALI, Indonesia - One of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's all-time greats capped a stunning return to action on Sunday afternoon, as Lindsay Davenport won the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic singles title in Bali. She beat Daniela Hantuchova in a three set final to complete an unlikely comeback title run.

Having not played a single event between last September and this August, let alone a singles event until just this week, Davenport came into Bali as some sort of unknown quantity. With a ranking of No.234, few thought her a threat at all, especially given the marquee names populating the Tier III draw. But she went through the two top guns, namely No.1 seed Jelena Jankovic and No.2 seed Hantuchova, to get to the title, which was the 52nd of her career.

"It's just overwhelming and exciting," Davenport said. "I certainly exceeded my expectations in how I'd play. I think a lot of it just had to do with being excited to be back out there and being fresh to play. But I would have never expected this to happen so soon, so I'm a little bit in shock."

Davenport's quarterfinal win over Jankovic was the biggest surprise in terms of ranking, as she regrouped after dropping the first four games of the match to beat the world No.3 for the fourth time in four career meetings, 64 26 62.

"Lindsay was playing really well, and was returning unbelievably; I just couldn't do anything," Jankovic stated. "The way she is serving, each opportunity you get you have to take it. She's playing great."

Davenport's serve got her out of trouble several times against Hantuchova in the final. Hantuchova had break point for 5-3 in the first set but Davenport erased it; after dropping her serve she also had 0-30 with Davenport serving up 5-4, but the American again got out of trouble. The Slovak managed to get the second set under her belt but the Davenport train got back on course, and was in complete control of the third set for a resonant 64 36 62 title victory.

"I finally got a lot of confidence, and was able to break her to go up 3-1 in the third," Davenport said. "She made a couple of errors and I hadn't broken her in so long - that gave me a lot of confidence and momentum. That relaxed me a bit more in my service games and I was able to make more first serves."

"I think I used the right tactics but it didn't work out," Hantuchova stated. "All the credit to her and how she was playing. She was serving great. Maybe I was trying for too much and that's where the errors started coming in. But against a player like that, you can't really afford to do that."

Davenport is now the lowest-ranked player to capture a title this season and the fourth-lowest in history. Her triumph is reminiscent of fellow greats Monica Seles and Serena Williams, who both made title runs immediately after returning from lengthy lay-offs (at 1995 Toronto and 2004 Miami, respectively).

"It's my first tournament back and I was unsure how I would respond physically. It’s crazy. Maybe the pregnancy gave me some magical powers, I don't know. I was definitely getting tired there in the second set but was able to re-group and get a second or third wind for that third set. That was important. I don't know exactly where that comes from, but I definitely felt a little fresher in the third."

Hantuchova rebounded after an opening round loss at the US Open to reach her second final of 2007, having earned the Tier I title at Indian Wells. She was also a first round upset victim in Bali last year; this year she definitely impressed.

"I had a fantastic week, I really enjoyed it here," the 24-year-old declared. "I was just looking to get some matches in, but I didn't really expect to be in the final. This week gives me a lot of confidence."

Others making noise in Bali were rising stars Sorana Cirstea and Sara Errani, both semifinalists. Cirstea's run was of particular note as it included her first Top 20 win - in fact it was her first time even facing a player ranked inside the Top 30 - as she beat Patty Schnyder in the second round. Chinese Ji Chunmei and Sun Shengnan earned their first Tour titles of any kind in the doubles event.

But the week clearly belonged to Davenport, whose comeback form suggested it wouldn't be too long before she is again challenging for the biggest prizes.

"I hope to play Australia at the start of next year but besides that I don't know what to expect. But I'm hopeful to play as much as I can next year."

i have a really really long article here ehehe... so if somebody is interested in it, read it please its kinda entertaining

An unpredictable odyssey, but Davenport is back
By Bonnie D. Ford
October 11, 2007
VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Two of the biggest cannon arms in the game, Andy Roddick and John Isner, were warming up for a World Team Tennis exhibition doubles match on a speedy carpeted court Wednesday night when Lindsay Davenport saw something that made her nervous.

Davenport, sitting on the bench with legendary rocker Elton John at the annual AIDS charity event the musician throws with Billie Jean King, walked over to the boards at the baseline and beckoned to a young woman with a stroller who was sitting in the front row.
Moments later, the nanny positioned herself several rows higher and explained that Davenport wanted her 4-month-old baby out of harm's way when Roddick and Isner's untouchable serves whistled off the court into the crowd, which they did with some regularity after the match began.
That's thinking like a true tennis mom -- a mom who, to her own and many other people's surprise, has returned to play the sport she excelled at for so long.

Davenport's odyssey through the birth of her son Jagger last June and her comeback this fall has changed her in a few ways. Coupled with some other second acts in the women's game over the last few years, maybe it should teach us a lesson. Sometimes careers, like pregnancies, zig-zag outside the lines and don't follow predictable trajectories.

"Everyone wants to know, OK, this is the plan, this is what's going to happen, this is how it's going to be," said the 31-year-old Davenport, who won a WTA event in Bali -- her first singles tournament in a year -- last month and reached the semis in Beijing the following week. "You kind of never do. You just have to play it by ear and see how everything ends up lining up."

Little Jagger was a big hit at the WTT Smash Hits gala, attracting delighted cooing and ah-ing wherever he went. "Ooooh my God!" Davenport's former colleague Anna Kournikova exclaimed when she saw him, clapping her hands to her famous face and bending over for a better look.

Later in the evening, Jagger blissfully slept through his mother's singles match against young U.S. prospect Madison Brengle, shaded from the arena lights by a puffy blue blanket.

If you didn't know Davenport had been away, you wouldn't know. She's got the same clean, hard groundstrokes and loose, shoulder-rolling way of shrugging away a mishit. She says she feels great -- better, in fact, than she did her last 18 months on the women's tour, when back problems increasingly hampered her ability to play at the highest level.

Davenport stayed fit through her pregnancy by jogging, lifting weights and working out in the pool, but said she had no desire to play tennis again until she was into her seventh month. "Nice timing," she said, laughing at her own fickleness. "I wish I had thought I would come back. I didn't, and I didn't practice."

Everything went smoothly until the 32-week mark, when routine tests showed that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck -- twice. The next month was high-stress for Davenport and her husband, investment banker and former pro Jon Leach. She went to the hospital for monitoring three times a week, and her doctor instructed her to check on the baby every three hours by gently pressing her own belly to get him to kick back.

"The doctors were pretty positive and upbeat about it, but I had my moments," Davenport said. She decided to defy superstition and organize her new nursery, but at one point, as she was folding baby clothes with her mother, Davenport blurted out her worst fear. "What if this is for nothing?" she said.

No doubt that an elite athlete's physical and mental strength came in handy there. "You have to snap out of it," Davenport said of her anxiety, and she did.

When her doctor decided Jagger needed to be delivered by Caesarian section about three weeks early on June 10, Davenport called two people -- her mother and her old doubles partner and dear friend, Corina Morariu. Worrisome as the last weeks of the pregnancy had been, the birth was normal and Davenport resumed exercising two weeks later.

"My doctor told me to be careful what I say, because I might inspire women to come back too soon," Davenport said. "They usually recommend six to eight weeks. I always tell people I had permission.''

What's next? Davenport has entered a tournament in Quebec City the last week of October, and said she intends to start the 2008 season in Australia if she's still feeling good.

She never requested that her name be removed from the WTA rankings and currently sits at No. 125. But her agent, Tony Godsick, talked her into filling out the paperwork that gave her a special ranking back in February, when Davenport was convinced she would never play again.

If Davenport chooses to play the Australian Open in January, she'll go in as an unseeded No. 12 -- her position after her last event in 2006 -- and like Serena Williams last year, would have to be considered a dangerous floater.

Jagger has his dad's blue eyes and his mom's infant baldness and for the moment, he's a placid, happy traveler. Davenport knows that could change drastically when he becomes a toddler. "We're taking advantage of this time until he gets mobile," she said. "So far it's been manageable.


"I didn't come back because I was unhappy. Everything seems really natural. There's not a lot of free time, that's for sure. But there's no pressure. It's all a bonus."

New phase: Roddick and Morariu hammed it up during a mixed doubles match at the WTT benefit. At one point, they pretended to argue. Roddick stalked off in mock fury, then wheeled and yelled out: "I can't stay mad at you!"

We understand why. Morariu, 29, is one of the most gracious, graceful performers in the game and her low-key, unannounced exit was typical of her modest personality. Morariu retired after this year's U.S. Open and said there will be no reversal of that decision.

"It's been a long time coming," said Morariu, a leukemia survivor who battled back to play doubles and reached the Australian Open final two years ago with Davenport. "Having shoulder surgery and having to shelve my singles career was tough on me. But I feel great and I'm thankful for that. I have a lot of passions in life and I'm capable of doing other things."

Morariu has been doing some television commentary and also serves as a spokesperson for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She lives close to Davenport in Southern California and said Jagger's birth "is like having a new little nephew."

Davenport's re-emergence "is awesome -- great for women's tennis and great for her," Morariu said. "All I want is for her to be happy and she seems to be managing really well."


Long live the King: Elton John, on his good friend Billie Jean King: "I never understood why she didn't coach men. She's a great motivator. I brought her in to talk to my soccer team and she gave a two-hour motivational talk. They were s--- scared by the time she was done."

The pair showed they also have a way of persuading people to open their hearts and wallets, raising $400,000 for AIDS causes at the 15th annual edition of the Smash Hits event.

[b]Comeback Queen wins another

Former world number one Lindsay Davenport continued her fairytale comeback by crushing third-seeded Julia Vakulenko of the Ukraine 6-4 6-1 in the final of the Quebec City Challenge on Sunday.

The American wildcard shrugged off the challenge of her 24-year-old opponent to claim her second WTA title in three tournaments since her return to the game after a year in retirement.

Davenport, who gave birth to her son Jagger in June, triumphed in Bali in her first tournament back before losing to world number three Jelena Jankovic in the semi-finals of last month's China Open.

The former Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open champion, who clinched her 53rd career title in Quebec, has said she is unlikely to play again for the rest of the year.

Nice article .................... from os wta

Lindsay Davenport / Cal Ripken, Jr.
Davenport Receives March of Dimes Award

NEW YORK, NY, USA - Sony Ericsson WTA Tour legend Lindsay Davenport received the Sportswoman of the Year Award at the March of Dimes 24th Annual Sports Luncheon in New York City on Wednesday, November 28 in recognition of her extensive accomplishments in the world of tennis and her philanthropic endeavors.

The annual luncheon, which was held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, celebrated the achievements of two athletes – Davenport and Cal Ripken Jr. (Sportsman of the Year) – and two sports industry leaders – Ted Fortsmann (Corporate Leadership Award) and Arlen Kantarian (Sports Leadership Award). Davenport joins several stellar names on the Sportswoman of the Year roll of honor; a list which includes Jennifer Capriati (2001), Annika Soremstam (2003) and Danica Patrick (2006).

In 2007, Davenport returned to the Tour just three months after giving birth to her first son, Jagger. Tennis fans and critics alike closely watched every step of Davenport's return wondering if the former world No.1 could return to the form prior to her temporary leave and Davenport certainly did not disappoint.

In three tournaments, Davenport managed to capture singles titles at Bali and Québec City as well as a credible semifinal showing at the Tier II event in Beijing. While the results were highly encouraging in Davenport quest to return to the game's elite, she has acknowledged that her approach has been slightly different.

"I'm happier than I've ever been," Davenport explained after capturing the Québec City title. "When I step on the court for matches, I'm really happy to be out there. I'm really focused through next year's US Open and that includes the Olympics and playing the Slams again."

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. The Sports Luncheon will play an important role in supporting this effort.

Davenport eyeing full time return

Lindsay Davenport has revealed she is targeting a full-time return to the WTA Tour in 2008 and is intending to compete in at least three Grand Slam tournaments as well as the Fed Cup and possibly the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Davenport, who will play in her first Grand Slam for more than a year at the Australian Open in January, took 11 months off the tour and gave birth to her first child in June.

But the former world number one said that the three comeback tournaments she played at the end of the season had persuaded her to make a full return to the tour.

"I just didn't think athletically I'd be able to rebound as well as I have," Davenport said. "My body has felt really great the last six months.

"I was really excited to come back and play but also really nervous about still being able to do well and having the comeback be a success. But, yeah, I never have thought that it would have gone as well as it has so far."

Davenport has already been named by Zina Garrison in the US Fed Cup squad for their home quarter final tie against Germany in February, which could lead to selection for the US Olympic team. Davenport won the gold medal in the singles competition at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

The 31-year-old, who won three Grand Slam titles between 1998 and 2000, said that she intended to enter Wimbledon and the US Open as well as the Australian Open but was yet to decide about playing in the French Open on her least favourite clay.

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Davenport back in USA team

Former world number one Lindsay Davenport's comeback continued with a recall to the U.S Fed Cup team to face Germany.

Davenport, 31, a three-times grand slam tournament winner, returned to the court in September after an 11 month absence while she gave birth to her first child.

The February quarter-final tie against Germany in La Jolla, California, will be Davenport's first singles appearance in the States since the 2006 U.S Open.

"I am honoured to represent my country on the U.S. Fed Cup team once again," said Davenport.

"My Fed Cup appearances have given me some of the best memories of my career and I look forward to La Jolla and helping our team advance to the semi-finals," she added.

U.S. Fed Cup captain Zina Garrison said she had been impressed by Davenport's comeback.

"Lindsay is such a great Fed Cup competitor and her return to tennis last season proved her love for and commitment to the game," said Garrison.

"We are thrilled to have her back on the U.S. Fed Cup team. It will be exciting to watch her compete for her country once again."

Davenport made her Fed Cup debut in 1993 and has led the U.S. to five finals and three titles - she has not lost a match in Fed Cup competition since 1994 and has not appeared on a losing team since 1995.

Former world number one Lindsay Davenport set her sights on a strong run at this month's Australian Open after she beat Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai 6-2 6-2 to win the Auckland Classic.

The American needed just 51 minutes to seal her third title in four tournaments since returning to the tour in September, having had a year off, during which she had her first child.

The victory gave Davenport her 54th title, surpassing compatriot Monica Seles to move to eighth in the list of WTA Tour title winners.

Davenport, who was unseeded in Auckland, will be one of the most dangerous unseeded players at Melbourne Park.

"I haven't really set a performance goal because of the draw, but if I was to say it now I'd be really excited to get to the quarter-finals," Davenport said.

"There's probably about five girls I wouldn't want to get in the first round but other than that I'll go with who I'm drawn against."

Rezai was looking for her first WTA Tour title but was outclassed by Davenport, who took advantage of 24 unforced errors from the Frenchwoman to ease to victory.

Davenport did not face a single break point as she took her tally to 18 wins in 19 matches since her return.

"I came here with the goal to win the tournament and when you're unseeded you never know how the draw turns out, but I was happy with the way I was able to make it through the whole week," the 2000 Australian Open champion said.

"(Now) I've got a week to get used to the conditions in Melbourne and get my body ready."