In December of 2006 a pregnant Lindsay Davenport said that she could never imagine playing professional tennis again. Now, barely ten months later, Davenport has given birth to a son, captured her fifty-second career title, and won eight straight matches.
Today’s Open Forum Friday discussion is on Davenport and her amazing comeback:
I’d like to encourage each of you to share your opinion in today’s forum, especially those of you who are new to On the Baseline!
Have a great weekend everyone!
I think Davenport definitely has a chance to win another slam. I believe that in no time, she will return to the upper echelon of women’s tennis.
i think that lindsay is in great period, she’s playing now with a lot of fun, konowing that after every match there is his kid.
this matches in bali and now in china open shows that she is big factor still. she has great serve, very clean shots and what is very important she has a lot of experiences which young great players such as jelena, ana,,, still don’t have…
wish a lindsay great and healthy new road to one more grad slam…she can do it for sure…she is big champion
I absolutely think she can regain her prominence on the tour. It is Champions like Lindsay that make the women’s game more entertaining and the fact that she is not a kid makes it even more interesting. She 31 years old and is proving that life does not end at 25 in the tennis world. But more importantly she is proving that women can have a family and still enjoy and thrive in their sport.
I wish her the best of luck, and I hope she wins the China Open. I think it will provide the encouragement and confidence that she needs to forge ahead with a full time return in 08.
PS Yes, she can still win a grand slame, she was one point away two years ago and that is why I think she is coming back. She knows better than anyone what she is capable of.
It is great having her back!!!
Lindsay played a mentally fragile Hantuchova, a tired, Jankovic, and a rusty Dementieva.
She hasn’t played any of the top players in fine form. I can’t picture her hitting with the Williams or beating Henin. I see her going down to the young up and comers who made an impact at the USO.
I think she’ll be where Martina Hingis is now, a Tier II/III Top 20′er.
I don’t see any reason why Davenport won’t make a place for herself among the top ten in the world. She’s motivated and is one of the best ball-strikers. Only her schedule will determine exactly how quickly she’ll ascend into the upper echelons of the tour.
I do, however, doubt she’ll win another grand slam singles title. If she couldn’t succeed in the past few years when she was a constant in the world top five (and ended a few of them number one), then I don’t see Lindsay being able to make that kind of run, beating Henin or the Williams sisters. I believe 2008 will see her 4R or QF at the Aussie, early rounds at the French (if she even plays), QF or SF at Wimbledon, and QF or SF at the U.S.
A return to the top ten? Almost certain. That elusive fourth grand slam singles title? Unlikely.
I don’t think Lindsay will have any more success against Henin than she has had recently. That said, she had Venus at match point a couple of times at Wimbledon final in 05 I believe….and she has beaten Serena. So, yeah, if you can beat almost everyone, and smoke Sharapova worse than the Williams ever did (6-0 6-0) you could expect to be back in the top 10, maybe top 5. Lindsay’s best shot at a major is probably Wimbledon, she was a point away, but the US Open is a good possibility too. I don’t think the conditions in Australian are ideal for her, but still possible.
It’s hard to predict. She came SO close to winning another Slam so many times, the most frustrating being the 2004 U.S. Open, when she injured her foot in the semifinals; had she not, there is little doubt she would have beaten Dementieva and won the title. Then there was the total exhaustion in the 2005 Australian Open final, and the dramatic loss in the Wimbledon final.
If she still has a chance, I think it is more of a psychological one. Having come within a breath of it 3 or 4 times and not winning must have been very, very hard for her. Then she gave up the pursuit, left, took on a whole new priority. I’m thinking she may have taken the pressure off of herself, and that could help her win the elusive 4th Slam.
She’s still very rusty, and still swiped three top 15 players, including one top three in nine matches. Plus Daniilidou isn’t exactly a joke either.
I don’t see Lindsay winning a slam title, but I can see her win the Olympics next year, where I totally want a Pierce/Davenport clash, since I believe Pierce’s aim for 2008 is Beijing.
Good luck Lindsay is all I can say.
Lindsay has all the talent a player can ask for; more than any player on tour today. How far she goes depends on her condition and belief in winning. If she can stay injury free, one of the most difficult parts of mounting a comeback, she will go as far as she wants to. I’ve never seen anyone hit the ball on the mark as well as LD.
Best wishes for your next Slam!