Lindsay Davenport is about to lead Team USA on a journey that will hopefully lead towards Billie Jean King Cup glory.
Davenport is happy with her team going into the competition, and she’s a role model for a number of American stars.
At the US Open, Davenport made some claims about Coco Gauff, and she’s a regular pundit on the game in this day and age.
As a player, she enjoyed a brilliant career, winning three Grand Slam titles and also reaching number one in the world.
Davenport enjoyed some memorable tussles with Venus Williams at the start of the older of the two iconic sisters’ careers with one in particular coming in 1998.
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images for ITFWhat Lindsay Davenport predicted about Venus Williams in 1998 was spot on
The US Open in 1998 was Davenport’s world, and essentially, the other professionals were merely living in it.
The American ticked off a lifelong ambition to win her home Grand Slam tournament, dumping Williams out at the semifinal stage.
After Davenport ran out a 6-4, 6-4 victor over Williams, she was quizzed on whether she was actually a better player than her opponent and made a prediction that would eventually be proved spot on.
She said in her press conference: “Well, that’s tough to say. I mean, we’ve both had great results this year.
“You know, she’s a lot younger than me, and she could turn out to be a way better player.
“I think I’ve just played a couple more years and have maybe played a little bit of smarter matches when we’ve played. It’s too hard to compare players, you know, who’s better, who’s not.
“I mean, I have a better record against her, but that doesn’t mean that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Venus Williams became a legendary figure
The elder Williams sister became a stunning ambassador for the game of tennis and won seven Grand Slam titles during her career.
Five of those came on the grass at Wimbledon, and it’s not unfair to say that Davenport was right when predicting Williams would be a better player than she was.
Davenport’s career shouldn’t be discredited, of course, but for a period in the 2000s, nobody could get close to Williams when it came to the All England Club.
Williams managed to win the US Open in 2000 and 2001, and it was only a matter of time after Davenport’s comments in 1998 that she was ultimately proved to be correct.