At the All England Club last summer,
a disillusioned Davenport dropped heavy
hints she intended to retire at the
end of the season because of persistent
injuries and illness.
But a semi-final appearance at Wimbledon,
where she lost to eventual champion
Russian Maria Sharapova, spurred the
American on.
She immediately went on a four-tournament
(22-match) winning streak - a run which
was only broken in the US Open semi-finals
when she suffered an injury against
Svetlana Kuznetsova, who would also
go on to win the title.
With retirement talk banished for now,
Davenport has picked up where she left
off in 2005.
The 29-year-old reached her first Grand
Slam final in five years at the Australian
Open where she was beaten in three sets
by Serena Williams.
And then went on to reach four straight
finals, picking up the titles at Amelia
Island and Dubai.
Davenport's powerful ability is often
undone by her lack of consistency.
She was not at her best at the French
Open, but she still reached the quarter-finals
where she was tamely knocked out by
veteran Mary Pierce.
But Davenport's aggressive game is
better suited to Wimbledon and the 1999
champion will use all her experience
on grass as she seeks her fourth Grand
Slam crown.
