TheTruth
G.O.A.T.
June 13, 2008
Tennis Week Main - tennisweek - 2:06 pm
Supermom’s Return Trip
The Nike sweeping swoosh on her shirt isn’t concealing a red “S” on her chest, but it sometimes seems that way to Lindsay Davenport’s friends who have taken to tagging tennis’ top working mom with a new nickname — “Super Mom” — as she’s crafted a career rebirth that might make even kryptonite cringe at her powers of perseverance.
When the 31-year-old Davenport returns to Wimbledon for the first time in three years this month she’ll be carrying both 1-year-old son Jagger (and his diaper bag) and career full of impressive grass-court credentials: she has reached at least the semifinals in five of her last six Wimbledon appearances.
“It’s so exciting for me to play Wimbledon again and I’m really looking forward to getting back there and playing on grass,” Davenport told Tennis Week yesterday hours before boarding a plane bound for London. “Grass has always been a good surface for me, I really enjoy playing on grass and I’m kind of amazed when I think about the whole summer of opportunities I have in front of me in playing Wimbledon, the Olympics in Beijing and of course the U.S. Open. I really have a lot to look forward to.”
The three-time Grand Slam champion can look back on one of the most memorable Grand Slam finals in Open Era history in her last Wimbledon appearance. Facing long-time rival Venus Williams, Davenport held championship point in the 2005 Wimbledon final before the 14th-seeded American fought back to seize the Rosewater Dish with a thrilling 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 victory over Davenport in a magnificent match that spanned a record-setting two hours, 45 minutes and will be remembered as one of the most riveting women’s finals in history.
Since Davenport upset Steffi Graf, 6-4, 7-5, to win the 1999 Wimbledon title a trio of Americans — Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Davenport — have combined to claim seven of the last nine Wimbledon titles with only Maria Sharapova (2004) and Amelie Mauresmo (2006) breaking the American stronghold on the championship.
British bookmaker Ladbrokes has set Sharapova as the favorite to win Wimbledon (2/1) followed by Serena Williams (3/1), Ivanovic (4/1), Venus Williams (5/1) and Jelena Jankovic (14/1) with Davenport a 33/1 shot to reclaim the Rosewater Dish.
“I think when you ask about Wimbledon favorites it’s the same ones you always read about: Maria, Venus and Serena and now Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic,” said Davenport, who enters Wimbledon having won two of the six tournaments – Auckland and Memphis – she’s contested this season. “Obviously, the big servers are going to have an edge on grass.”
Less than three months before Ivanovic defeated Dinara Safina in the French Open final, Davenport dispatched Ivanovic, 6-4, 6-2, in Miami before bowing to Safina in the next round. Ivanovic’s power-based baseline style has evoked comparisons to Davenport’s game, but the former No. 1 says the new top-ranked player has her own style.
“I think she has a much better forehand than I had at her age and she moves a little bit better,” Davenport said. “She was just coming off winning Indian Wells when I beat her so it’s tough to make that transition, but I felt like I had the big game to beat her and you need to have a big game to beat her.”
Davenport and follow U.S. Open champion Tracy Austin were in New York City on Thursday to promote Decades of Smooth — a skin health awareness campaign aimed to help women and men make informed skin care choices. A cornerstone of the campaign is the Juvederm sponsorship of the U.S. Open, the first medical aesthetic brand to sponsor the tournament. Visit the Juvederm booth at the Open for a free facial analysis and the chance for a free treatment worth $600. Davenport spent some time hitting with members of the media and then enjoyed a surprise belated birthday cake (she celebrated her 32nd birthday on June 8th).
Tennis Week Main - tennisweek - 2:06 pm
Supermom’s Return Trip
The Nike sweeping swoosh on her shirt isn’t concealing a red “S” on her chest, but it sometimes seems that way to Lindsay Davenport’s friends who have taken to tagging tennis’ top working mom with a new nickname — “Super Mom” — as she’s crafted a career rebirth that might make even kryptonite cringe at her powers of perseverance.
When the 31-year-old Davenport returns to Wimbledon for the first time in three years this month she’ll be carrying both 1-year-old son Jagger (and his diaper bag) and career full of impressive grass-court credentials: she has reached at least the semifinals in five of her last six Wimbledon appearances.
“It’s so exciting for me to play Wimbledon again and I’m really looking forward to getting back there and playing on grass,” Davenport told Tennis Week yesterday hours before boarding a plane bound for London. “Grass has always been a good surface for me, I really enjoy playing on grass and I’m kind of amazed when I think about the whole summer of opportunities I have in front of me in playing Wimbledon, the Olympics in Beijing and of course the U.S. Open. I really have a lot to look forward to.”
The three-time Grand Slam champion can look back on one of the most memorable Grand Slam finals in Open Era history in her last Wimbledon appearance. Facing long-time rival Venus Williams, Davenport held championship point in the 2005 Wimbledon final before the 14th-seeded American fought back to seize the Rosewater Dish with a thrilling 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 victory over Davenport in a magnificent match that spanned a record-setting two hours, 45 minutes and will be remembered as one of the most riveting women’s finals in history.
Since Davenport upset Steffi Graf, 6-4, 7-5, to win the 1999 Wimbledon title a trio of Americans — Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Davenport — have combined to claim seven of the last nine Wimbledon titles with only Maria Sharapova (2004) and Amelie Mauresmo (2006) breaking the American stronghold on the championship.
British bookmaker Ladbrokes has set Sharapova as the favorite to win Wimbledon (2/1) followed by Serena Williams (3/1), Ivanovic (4/1), Venus Williams (5/1) and Jelena Jankovic (14/1) with Davenport a 33/1 shot to reclaim the Rosewater Dish.
“I think when you ask about Wimbledon favorites it’s the same ones you always read about: Maria, Venus and Serena and now Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic,” said Davenport, who enters Wimbledon having won two of the six tournaments – Auckland and Memphis – she’s contested this season. “Obviously, the big servers are going to have an edge on grass.”
Less than three months before Ivanovic defeated Dinara Safina in the French Open final, Davenport dispatched Ivanovic, 6-4, 6-2, in Miami before bowing to Safina in the next round. Ivanovic’s power-based baseline style has evoked comparisons to Davenport’s game, but the former No. 1 says the new top-ranked player has her own style.
“I think she has a much better forehand than I had at her age and she moves a little bit better,” Davenport said. “She was just coming off winning Indian Wells when I beat her so it’s tough to make that transition, but I felt like I had the big game to beat her and you need to have a big game to beat her.”
Davenport and follow U.S. Open champion Tracy Austin were in New York City on Thursday to promote Decades of Smooth — a skin health awareness campaign aimed to help women and men make informed skin care choices. A cornerstone of the campaign is the Juvederm sponsorship of the U.S. Open, the first medical aesthetic brand to sponsor the tournament. Visit the Juvederm booth at the Open for a free facial analysis and the chance for a free treatment worth $600. Davenport spent some time hitting with members of the media and then enjoyed a surprise belated birthday cake (she celebrated her 32nd birthday on June 8th).
or has she been competing in small tournaments?
