Davenport Ready For Grand Slam

There is a baby boom in women's tennis; the teen-agers have taken over. At the U.S. Open, the spotlight is on Venus Williams, 18, Martina Hingis, 17, and Anna Kournikova, 17.

But don't tell that to Lindsay Davenport, who, at the ancient age of 22, is the hottest player on the women's tour. CBS 'This Morning' Field Anchor Jose Diaz-Balart reports from the U.S. Open.

"The last couple of months have given me confidence going into the U.S. Open" says Davenport. "I feel like I'm in better shape. At this stage in my career, I'm ready to win a grand slam."

Ranked No. 2 in the world, Davenport has had the summer of her life. In July and August, she won three consecutive tournaments, beating Venus Williams, Monica Seles, and No. 1 ranked Martina Hingis.

CBS Sports Analyst Mary Carillo says that over the past two years, Davenport has had to deal with considerable pressure.

"On the court, she felt very ungainly and not comfortable with her own body," says Carillo. "Off the court, her parents were going through a painful divorce. She took it upon herself to become the caretaker of her mom. That, I think, took a lot of her energy away from her tennis. I would say she's playing her very best ball right now."

Lindsay Davenport has a tough new training regimen that has given her speed and strength and has allowed her to drop 30 pounds. Now Davenport is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds, which can be an advantage on the court.

Davenport says her size hasn't always made life easy.

"At 16, 17, I was already 6 foot 3 inches, and, at that young age, it's overwhelming," she says. "The more I get older, the more I mature, I am very much more confident about it. I accept it more. It's part of who I am."

It is ironic that, as Davenport is having the best year of her career, the lower-seeded teen-agers of women's tennis are getting all the attention.

"They have got the attitude that goes with the '90s in all sports," says Davenport. "Everyone is more outspoken, a more 'in-your-face' style. These girls have that. They are all exciting. They say what is on their mind, they do stuff off the court that draws attention. I think today the public is into that."

Davenport says that with the attention comes responsibility.

"Whenever you're in the limelight or on TV or doing things people look up to, you're a role model. You need to think before you say things. You need to be careful of what image you're projecting to the younger girls."

Davenport may not be as public a figure as some of her younger competitors, but she is comfortable with who she is and what she represents to women's tennis.

"I am never going to be a size four or size two," she says. "I'm a big girl. I'm always going to be big. Hopefully, you cachange the mold of what people think. They don't have to have long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a great body. Tennis is a great game in the fact there is not a set type of body you have to have to play."