The Lindsay Davenport Era of Billie Jean King Cup begins

ORLANDO, Fla.—Lindsay Davenport is bringing a clear vision to her role as the new United States Billie Jean King Cup captain, which begins tonight when the U.S. hosts Belgium at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.

The former No. 1 has one eye on team-building and the other on each player’s individual career. While it’s important for the players to shift into a team mentality, Davenport’s approach is to make sure the week together benefits each of them the rest of the year—just as it did for her.

Davenport made her debut in 1993, when the inter-country competition was still called Federation Cup. King was the captain. A few years later, Davenport broke through by winning the Olympic gold medal. She credits the time under King’s encouraging tutelage for unlocking her full potential, which eventually included three Grand Slam titles and 98 weeks at No. 1.

“All of a sudden I had someone in my corner. Billie changed everything for me,” Davenport said.

The Tennis Channel analyst wants to do the same thing for the current roster of Americans.

“I have their whole year in my mind. I want one of these players to win Roland Garros,” she said. “I come at it with a player mindset. I’m so happy they’re here playing, but I want them to go on and achieve more things. I’ve told each of them individually that she can accomplish something special.”

Before practices began in Lake Nona last Sunday, Davenport asked each player and her coach what she and assistant coach Jermaine Jenkins could help with. Davenport is also prioritizing player health, knowing that this week’s tie comes during a busy time of the season, and the players have switched surfaces twice in less than two months. All five played on hard courts in March, then clay in Charleston last week, and now they are back on hard courts for the BJK Cup tie. Some of the players are scheduled to start the European clay court swing in Stuttgart in a few days.

I have their whole year in my mind. I want one of these players to win Roland Garros. Lindsay Davenport

Davenport has kept team practices efficient. Other than going to an escape room together, the team has stuck close to their hotel.

“I’m cognizant of where this falls in a calendar. The goal is for them to stay healthy,” she said.

In addition to building up each player, Davenport wants to restore the dominance of the United States national team. The U.S. has won 18 Cups and made 11 more finals, more than any other nation. Davenport has played the most ties of all American women, went 26-3 in singles, and was on the 1996, 1999 and 2000 championship teams. But the Americans have won just one title since then, in 2017.

“That’s unacceptable. This is an event we should be winning,” she said.

She’s off to a good start this week, assembling a team as strong as any playing in the eight qualifying ties around the world. Three players are ranked in the Top 20—Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Emma Navarro. Caroline Dolehide is ranked No. 48 in singles, and No. Taylor Townsend sits at No. 57 in singles and No. 12 in doubles (plus, she’s playing well, knocking off the ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in Charleston last week). Clervie Ngounoue is a practice partner.

Coco Gauff, the top-ranked American, declined an invitation, and Davenport made her decisions right after Indian Wells, before Danielle Collins won Miami and Charleston, and rose to No. 15 in the world.

Team USA is the heavy favorite against Belgium, whose singles players—Hanne Vandewinkel and Sofia Costoulas—are ranked No. 278 and 279. Belgium, coached by Wim Fisette, is without its three Top 100 singles players, Elise Mertens, Greet Minnen, and Yanina Wickmayer.

But Davenport’s team isn’t taking anything for granted.

“It’s a young team, but Jess [Pegula] said, ‘Oh, please, everyone plays their best in this event, so it doesn’t really matter. Anything could happen.’”

All of a sudden I had someone in my corner. Billie changed everything for me. Lindsay Davenport

One person who isn’t here is King herself, who is attending a different qualifying tie this week, since she came to the U.S. tie last year. She and Davenport are close, and they caught up recently to reminisce about their Fed Cup days. King reminded Davenport about the time she yelled at King for “not even watching her,” much less helping.

“She said she just laughed to herself and knew it was because I cared so much,” Davenport said.

King is still coaching, too. Still promoting confidence. She reminded Davenport that she knows what she’s doing as captain. What she didn’t say is that Davenport learned from the best.