Bud Collins

It was nice to see Lindsay Davenport back on the court at the U.S. Open after she missed last year’s tournament following the birth of Jagger, her son. But as she is now age 32, I simply do not expect much from the 1998 champion during this fortnight despite her 6-4, 6-2 first-round victory Monday against Aleksandra Wozniak, a 20-year-old Canadian.

Davenport’s overall fitness level is not great, and she doesn’t seem to be moving well on the court.

Knee injury is a problem
Davenport’s subpar movement on the court can be blamed on an injury to her right knee, which she suffered in a first round victory in June at Wimbledon. But keep in mind that the problem forced the Southern California native to pull out of the tournament, and limited her at the recently completed Olympics, where she competed with Liezel Huber in the doubles draw.

The American pair lost to Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain in a difficult quarterfinal match that lasted three hours.

In Beijing, Davenport remarked that her knee felt good, and that the decision to participate only in doubles allowed her to regain some confidence on the court.

Early play just not sharp
Due to her commitment to the Olympics, Davenport did not have much time to prepare for her opening-round match.

And it showed.

Davenport converted just five of a possible 14 break points Monday against Wozniak, whom Davenport trounced in Quebec City last season. What’s more, the tall veteran converted just 47 percent of her first-serves, and made 26 unforced errors — three more than Wozniak.

Wozniak deserves credit for playing hard against Davenport formerly the world’s top-ranked women’s player, and for her upset victory against a hobbled Serena Williams in her surprising title run as a qualifier (ranked No. 85) at Stanford earlier this summer.

What is next for Davenport?

In Wednesday’s second round, Davenport will play Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova, a 6-2, 7-5 winner Monday against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro.

Kleybanova, while talented, is still ranked No. 67 on the WTA Tour at age 19. Clearly, it is a match Davenport can win.

But Kleybanova has proven she can play well at major tournaments. At Wimbledon in July, she toppled 10th-seeded Daniela Hantuchova before losing in straight sets to Venus Williams, the eventual champion.

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The popular question at Flushing Meadows is: which Davenport will show up in Round 2?

Will it be the woman who played to a high level with tournament victories in Bali and Quebec City upon her return to tennis last fall, or will she crumble like she did in a humbling loss to Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open in January?

If Davenport can shape up in time to win two more matches, she could face eighth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva in the fourth round.

And Davenport has won all six of their previous meetings without dropping a set.

Stay tuned.

How much longer will she play?

It is difficult to say how much longer Davenport will continue as pro player. She has admitted more than once to wanting to play one match at a t ime without making a decision about whether to retire.

Regardless, give Davenport credit for returning to the Tour. With three major titles (Davenport won Wimbledon in 1999 and the Aussie Open in 2000), she is currently the top woman on the career earnings list at more than $22 million.

Davenport has had a great career, even if she loses her second-round match.

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