As Lindsay Davenport will get set to take over because the U.S. captain for Billie Jean King Cup, she thinks again to what she known as “the most amazing” of her three championships as a participant within the crew competitors.

It was in 1999, again when the occasion was nonetheless referred to as the Fed Cup, and King was the Americans’ captain. Davenport helped beat Russia within the last with newly topped U.S. Open champion Serena Williams, then simply 17, and Venus Williams.

“Can you believe it?” Davenport stated in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “The media frenzy was really at an all-time high because of Serena; she had just won her first major. It was pretty awesome to be there and be a part of it.”

Now Davenport, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, goes to exchange Kathy Rinaldi accountable for the crew after this yr’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals, a change the U.S. Tennis Association introduced on Wednesday. And Davenport’s roster might embody a young person who simply received the U.S. Open: Coco Gauff.

“Coco’s result at the U.S. Open was just remarkable. It really felt so great for American women’s tennis to see that happen, to see that play out,” Davenport stated. “There’s been a lot of pressure on her the last five or so years to be able to accomplish that, and for that to happen at her home Slam is pretty awesome.”

Davenport, who's from California, received three Grand Slam titles in singles, one other three in doubles and reached No. 1 within the WTA singles and doubles rankings. She additionally earned a gold medal on the 1996 Olympics and went 26-3 in singles and 7-0 in doubles within the Billie Jean King Cup whereas successful titles in 1996, 1999 and 2000 - every with King as captain. Only Chris Evert received extra singles matches for the United States within the occasion that modified its identify to honor King in 2020.

“I remember vividly all the Fed Cup ties and the winning and the camaraderie and some of the amazing teams I was able to be a part of,” Davenport stated. “And now I’m excited to be able to experience it from a different lens and try and be - well, I will never live up to, but try and be similar to - how Billie was as captain and see what kind of job I can do.”

Rinaldi turned the U.S. captain in December 2016 and led the crew to the title in 2017. The USTA stated in June that she would step down after this yr’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals are held in Seville, Spain, from Nov. 7-12, however keep on as the pinnacle of its ladies’s program for participant improvement.

Davenport can even tackle a job in participant improvement for the USTA.

She was the singles champion on the U.S. Open in 1998, Wimbledon in 1999 and Australian Open in 2000, and a serious runner-up 4 instances.

Davenport retired as a participant in 2010 and was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014. She has labored as a coach, together with with Madison Keys, and a tv analyst.

“Hopefully I can lead with a certain amount of motivation and also hopefully we’ll be well-prepared, we’ll be ready to go,” Davenport stated. “I’ve had a couple of different captains; Billie was obviously the most energetic and the most inspiring. I’m not quite sure my personality is quite like hers, but certainly I’ll try to be as motivating as possible.”

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