Name: Linday Davenport
DOB: June 8, 1976
Country: USA
Place of Birth: Palos Verdes, California
Residence: Laguna Beach, California
Height: 6' 2.5
Turn pro: 1993
Racquet: WILSON nCode nTour 95
Lindsay Davenport’s tennis career may not be at its peak (Davenport actually announced during the 2005 season that she would participate in less events in 2006), but her performance on the tennis court, along with her gritty attitude, will never be forgotten. She contributed to the sport in a way that made her spectators overlook the fact that she was female, and thus prove herself as a skilled player.
By age 30, Davenport had won the 1998 U.S. Open, the 1999 Wimbledon, and the 2000 Australian Open, thus becoming a three-time Grand Slam Champ.
Davenport’s style is for the most part based on her use of groundstrokes. In 1996, she won the Olympic gold medal and through the time period between 1998 and 2001, she was the number one women’s singles and doubles player more than a few times. In 2004, she achieved the same feat twice over again. She also took the number one spot for the majority of the 2005 season, only briefly dethroned the two weeks before last year’s U.S. Open by Maria Sharapova.
At 6-2, Davenport is among the tallest women to ever compete in tennis professionally and became the number one player at the end of each year’s rankings in 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2005. Since the establishment of the computer singles ranking system in 1975, only three other women have matched Davenport’s record of being 4-time year-end number one player – Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Chris Evert. Davenport’s current ranking has lowered to the number ten spot, due to a lower back injury and subsequent inactivity.
Despite her recent fall in activity, Davenport has still managed to become the eighth women in the WTA to win over 700 singles matches. She ended her career with flair as she achieved her career’s fourth “double bagel”. At the Dubai’s Duty Free Women’s Open, Davenport beat player Elena Likhovtseva with the score record of 6-0, 6-0 in the second round.
Davenport’s lower back injury has always hindered her tennis career, but recently, it has become more severe and she has not been able to play for two months. However, she still has a chance at the 2006 U.S. Open, even with her injury. Her career thereafter will be up to the speculation of others, but it is likely that she will end her tennis career in the near future.
Davenport’s personality has often been described as thoughtful, polite, and well balanced, which contrasts greatly from other tennis players. On the other hand, Davenport has been noted for a lack of charisma and attention to personal appearance and grooming. As a result, her fellow peers tend to hold bigger portions of the media’s attention, despite Davenport’s clearly superior skills.