Lindsay Davenport - USA 
| Birth Date:
| 6/8/1976 |
Age:
| 36 |
| Birth Place:
| Laguna Beach, California |
Residence:
| Newport Beach, California.[ |
| Height:
| 6'2 1/2'' (1.89 m) |
Weight:
| 175 lbs. (79 kg) |
| Year Turned Pro:
| 1993 (19 years on tour) |
Plays:
| Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Official Website:
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Twitter:
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American Lindsay Davenport is a former No. 1 singles and doubles player. She finished four different years ranked No. 1 in the world in the WTA singles rankings, and won three Grand Slam singles titles. Standing 6-feet, 2-1/2 inches, she is one of the tallest players ever on the WTA Tour.
She made her first Tour appearance in 1991, but truly broke through in 1993, making her Top 100 debut after winning the title at Lucerne. Her first Top 10 win came over No. 5 Gabriela Sabitini at Delray Beach and she reached the fourth round of the US Open.
She finished in the Top 10 for the first time in 1994, winning titles at Brisbane and Lucerne, and reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon. In 1995, she slipped out of the Top 10, winning just one title as a singles player, but four in doubles. She returned to the Top 10 in 1996 with three titles, including at the Atlanta Summer Games where she defeated four Top 10 players without dropping a set. She defeated Steffi Graf in the semifinals at Los Angeles, her first win over the No. 1 player in the world.
In 1997, she finished No. 3 in the world by winning six titles and reaching two other finals. She reached the semifinals at the US Open, falling to Martina Hingis. She reached No. 2 in the ranks in mid-November, but slid back to third by year’s end. In doubles, she teamed with Jana Novotna to win the US Open and the Tour Championships, reaching No. 1 on Oct. 20 and holding the spot for two weeks. Davenport took over as the No. 1 player in the world in 1998, winning four events including the US Open, her first Grand Slam singles crown. She defeated Graf in the semifinals and Venus Williams in the final, winning the championship on her mother’s birthday. She made at least the quarterfinals of the other three Grand Slam events. In addition, she won six doubles titles including the Tour Championships, and spent 13 weeks at No. 1 in doubles.
She “fell” to No. 2 in the world in 1999, but won seven titles including Wimbledon, defeating Graf in the final and not losing a set throughout the tournament. She lost the No. 1 ranking on Feb. 7, but regained it for five weeks between July 5 – Aug. 8. She also won the doubles title at Wimbledon, and spent 13 weeks ranked No. 1 in doubles. Davenport remained No. 2 at the end of 2000, winning four titles including her first Australian Open. She defeated Hingis in the final to end her 27-match, three-year win streak there. She reached the final at Wimbledon but lost to Williams. She started the year 24-1 and was ranked No. 1 for two different time spans. Between April 17 and May 7 she became only the fourth player in history to hold the No. 1 spots in singles and doubles concurrently.
Davenport marked 2001 as her second year at No. 1 despite an injury-plagued clay court season. She missed all events in April and May including the French Open, then returned strong to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon. Later in the year she enjoyed a 15-match win streak that gave her three titles. She clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking by 10 points over Jennifer Capriati with a victory over Kim Clijsters in the Tour Championship semifinals. Davenport fell to 12th in 2002, thanks largely to missing half the season after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery to correct a cartilage defect. She missed the first three majors of the year before returning at Stanford and reaching the semifinals. It was her first time outside the Top 10 since 1995.
She bounced back to No. 5 in 2003, winning one title and finishing as the runner-up in five more. She reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the semifinals at the US Open, and won three doubles titles. She was back on top in 2004, finishing No. 1 overall with a 22-match win streak and seven titles. She reached the fourth round at the French Open, the quarterfinals in Australia and the semifinals of Wimbledon.
Davenport repeated as No. 1 in 2005, winning six titles, and reaching four other finals. She lost the championship at the Australian Open to Serena Williams, losing nine straight games while ahead 6-2, 3-3, and falling to Venus Williams at Wimbledon. By finishing No. 1 at the end of the year for the fourth time, she joined an elite group along with Graf, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. She also became the third woman to surpass $20 million in career earnings. Injuries destroyed Davenport’s 2006 season, and she fell all the way to 25th.
A back injury kept her out of Wimbledon and the French Open. When she fell out of the Top 10 in January, it marked the first time in history no American woman was ranked in the Top 10. In December, she announced an indefinite leave from the tour due to expecting her first child. She returned to the tour in 2007 after 11 months off and went 13-1 in three singles events, winning Bali and Quebec City. She finished 73rd on the year, then moved up to 36th in 2008, winning at Auckland and Memphis.
At the end of 2008, she announced she was pregnant with her second child and announced plans to leave the Tour again. She did not play at all during the 2009 season, then returned with a flourish in August of 2010, teaming up with Liezel Huber to win the doubles title at the Bank of the West Classic.
Career Grand Slam Titles
Singles (3): Australian Open (2000); Wimbledon (1999); US Open (1998)
Doubles (3): French Open (1996); Wimbledon (1999); US Open (1997)
Year-End Singles Rankings: 1992 – 20th; 1993 – 20th; 1994 – 6th; 1995 – 12th; 1996 – 9th ; 1997 – 3rd; 1998 – 1st; 1999 – 2nd; 2000 – 2nd; 2001 – 1st; 2002 – 12th; 2003 – 5th; 2004 – 1st; 2005 – 1st; 2006 – 25th; 2007 – 73rd; 2008 – 36th.
Personal
Began playing tennis at age 5 when her mother put her in an afternoon class to keep her occupied. Her father, Wink, played volleyball for the United States in the 1968 Olympic Games. Is a big fan of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and USC athletics. Married to Jon Leach, a four-time All-American tennis player at USC.
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