USTA’s Massive Move Gains American Legend Chris Evert’s Seal of Approval as They Welcome Former Olympic Medalist in the National Team

Lindsay Davenport is a name which newer tennis fans might not know. Davenport is a three-time Grand Slam champion and used to be a big favorite. But after her retirement, she continued to be a big part of American tennis. She is about to take it a step further. The former player is donning a new role in the sport and will lead the USTA team in the Billie Jean King Cup, which evoked an elated reaction from Chris Evert.

The Billie Jean King Cup is an annual premier international team competition in women’s tennis. Initially known as the Federation Cup, the name was changed to Fed Cup later. It got the name of the WTA legend in 2020. It is akin to the Davis Cup in men’s tennis and the US team will now be led by one of the legends of the country.

Lindsay Davenport lauded by Chris Evert 

Since her retirement in 2010, Davenport has provided coverage for the sport and even worked as a coach guiding Madison Keys during her early years. Now, she will work with the USTA to ensure players are developing to their highest potential. This role is materializing as she will be taking on the role of the Captain of the American team in the Billie Jean King Cup.

The news was shared by the official ‘X’ page of USTA with the caption, “American tennis legend Lindsay Davenport will be the next captain of the USA @BJKCup team. Let’s do this, @LDavenport76!“. They also shared a collage of Davenport with some USTA players. 

The choice of the USTA was lauded by another veteran of American tennis, Chris Evert. She wrote a comment on the announcement, “Great and smart choice! Congratulations Lindsay! 👏👏👏👍👍👍“.

Davenport has worked wonders as a coach, as Madison Keys experienced immense growth under her. Keys even said that Davenport was the reason she was able to beat Iga Swiatek.

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Madison Keys lauds coach for resounding success

Davenport became the coach of Keys a little prior to the 2015 season, which helped her reach her first grand slam semifinal. They would split later, only to reunite in 2017 and split again by 2018. While she wasn’t her primary coach, Davenport always guided her when Keys would ask. In the 2022 Western & Southern Open, she managed to beat Iga Swiatek. In the post-match interview, she said that Davenport was essential for her to achieve the feat.

Keys stated that Davenport has been an influential personality for her and that her presence has meant the world to her. Keys has improved immensely since Davenport joined her side. Therefore, her role as captain was all but due for a long time. The USA team for the Billie Jean King Cup can trust her to take them far.

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