SPORTS

Davenport leaves with a smile

By Ossian Shine
July 01, 2004 23:03 IST

With almost $17 million in prize money banked and three Grand Slam titles to her name Lindsay Davenport admitted on Thursday that the competitive fires no longer burn as brightly as they once did.

Her loss to Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon semi-finals hurt -- but not too much -- and she is unlikely to compete at the grasscourt Grand Slam again.

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The 28-year-old has a different agenda these days.

"I just feel like I've had, you know, an amazing career, a very long one," said the player who made her Wimbledon debut in 1993.

"I just don't feel the same kind of excitement sometimes before matches. The wins don't get me as excited any more. On the flipside, the losses don't hurt as much.

"But it's a little bittersweet to finally walk off a court and a venue where I've had some great victories and some great moments in my career."

Champion in 1999 when she beat Steffi Graf in the final, Davenport knows what she wants to do when she quits the sport.

"Not to travel... and have kids," she smiled.

However she plans to play on until the end of the season.

"I plan to finish the year out," she said. "I mean, that's definitely in my plans now. I don't anticipate a change in the next few months.

"I'm excited to go home, play some tournaments in California, you know, play the U.S. Open again. Probably look at everything after the U.S. Open.

"I just can't see myself back here in six, 12 months.

"I certainly never wanted to make a big deal about when it was done. I mean, (I'm) just being honest with my feelings where I don't think I'll be back.

"I hope to finish out the year. I think it would be great to finish in LA, in my hometown, with the Masters. That would be ideal for me. I hope it works out."

Ossian Shine
Source: REUTERS
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