Davenport Remains Coy

Lindsay Davenport may not have announced that this is her last U.S. Open, but the way the crowd has reacted to her run to the quarterfinals, it has become clear the supportive fans aren’t taking any chances.

They got behind the 30-year-old from Laguna Beach in the third round Sunday when she faced two match points on the Grandstand Court against Katarina Srebotnik, and cheered the winning result when it was posted on the Arthur Ashe Stadium scoreboard during Andre Agassi’s final match.

“I don’t think I realize much of anything about what I am to these people or my impact or anything,” she said after Monday’s fourth-round victory. “I’m pretty clueless about it all.”

The person closest to Davenport, her husband Jon Leach, views it more clearly. She won the U.S. Open in 1998 and added two more Grand Slams, at Wimbledon in 1999 and the Australian Open in 2000.

“I see it independently,” Leach said. “There’s a mutual respect for all she’s accomplished. Even though it wasn’t two Grand Slam-a-year numbers, it’s day in, day out handling yourself well, being a big part of USA tennis.”

He was chatting with four reporters outside the players’ lounge during Tuesday’s rain delay. Only one singles match was completed -- Jelena Jankovic crushed fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva, 6-2, 6-1, in 62 minutes, as Dementieva never held serve. Everything else was postponed until today, including Davenport’s match against Justine Henin-Hardenne.

“This is probably the best outcome she or I could have hoped for, just to be healthy and at this level again,” Leach said.

The couple has faced several medical scares. Davenport was out from mid-March through early August because of an injured back, and then she suffered a concussion after blacking out and falling in her home in June just when she resumed practicing. She had bruises on her arm from the fall, Leach said, and they were “freaked out” about the incident.

Numerous tests revealed no abnormalities. She returned to the tour in Carson and suffered a loss in her opening match to unheralded Samantha Stosur. Later, Davenport reached the final against Henin-Hardenne in New Haven, Conn., only days before the Open but had to pull out in the second set because of a sore arm.

Leach spoke about his wife being at the opposite end of the Agassi spectrum, not wanting to invite the attention.

“I think she’s always felt like she’s maybe not the fastest, maybe not the prettiest, all these things that every other girl is trying to be,” he said. “She just tried to be the best, take care of what she could take care of.... She’s much more comfortable playing her role as underdog, overachieving person that people can relate to.”

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As expected, the U.S. Davis Cup team named to face Russia in the semifinals Sept. 22-24 in Moscow will include James Blake, Andy Roddick and twins Mike and Bob Bryan.

“James has some very good matches on clay this year, and Andy, not this year, but in the past,” said U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe. “And obviously, the Bryans can play on anything. We feel pretty good about our chances.”