Lindsay Davenport was part of one of the most exciting groups of female players tennis has ever seen in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Davenport competed alongside Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, and Venus Williams and still managed to win three singles Grand Slams and reach world number one.
Davenport’s rivalry with the Williams sisters was legendary and saw them meet 41 times throughout their respective careers.
In a recent interview, the American icon shared which opponent she found the toughest to play in her career.
Lindsay Davenport names her toughest ever opponent
Davenport was adamant that Serena Williams was the toughest opponent she ever faced in her tennis career.
Asked by The Sit-Down about her toughest opponents, Davenport responded: “For me it was always Serena.
“Everything about her game was better. Her serve, the way she was able to hit every serve with the same toss.”
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In particular, Davenport could never get a read on Williams’ power and always struggled to return her serve.
She added: “She was the first person I ever played where that was an issue. I was a pretty good returner and I really prided myself on trying to read what my opponent was going to do, and with what toss was their serve going to go, where is their favourite serve.
“I would watch videos on almost every break point. This was before data was really available, so we had to do it ourselves. And I would then play Serena and have no idea.
“I would be like where is she going! That toss did not go there! It was always really tough for me.”
Davenport also had trouble with dealing with Venus Williams, but she pointed out a key difference between the two.
“With Venus sometimes you would have a little opening with a forehand, for a couple of years there she would make some errors at times,” she said.
“I would get out against Serena, though, and be like every groundstroke is perfect. That was really tough for me. That was the player I was like I really don’t want to go out there against her.
“I managed to win a few but the record was pretty overwhelming on her side. Most players I was at least even or had a better record, it was just an impossible match up for me against Serena.”
Davenport lost one Grand Slam final to Serena, at the Australian Open in 2005, but it was Venus who she struggled with most.
Venus Williams defeated Davenport in three Grand Slam finals, two at Wimbledon and one on home soil at the US Open.
Lindsay Davenport’s record against Serena Williams
Davenport notched up four wins out of 14 against Serena Williams throughout her career, with all three coming on hard courts.
The biggest of her career came at the US Open in 2000, when Davenport knocked Williams out in straight sets in the quarter-finals.
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Davenport made the final that year, but lost to Venus Williams.
Serena knocked Davenport out of three Grand Slams, including twice at the US Open, so she proved a real thorn in her side.
It’s a wonder just how many more Grand Slam titles Davenport would have won if not for the Williams sisters.
