Tracy Austin

Lindsay Davenport, who began her comeback to professional tennis last summer just six weeks after the caesarian birth of her now seven-month-old son, Jagger, has put the first major of her second stint on the WTA tour behind her.

The unseeded American was a second-round loser at the Australian Open to eventual champion Maria Sharapova. She fell in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, but the loss has not taken the air out of her return to the sport.

Not yet back in top form
The Davenport-Sharapova meeting Down Under gave us a glimpse at two players in very different places in their lives and careers. For Sharapova so much is in front of her. She is the face of a hot-selling global brand. Business is good and likely to only get better after her dominant two-week showing in Melbourne. And what's even better for the Russian is her tennis isn't bad either. In fact, if what we saw from Sharapova at the first fortnight of 2008 is any indication, she not only has an excellent chance at bouncing back from a disappointing and at often times rough 2007, she has a real shot at getting to No. 1 in the world this year.

Davenport's long absence from serious play was certainly a factor in her losing the biggest test so far in her comeback. But what also must be taken into account is that Sharapova treated the match against the American mom like anything but a typical second-round encounter. The 20-year-old Bollettieri-trained Russian knew she needed to be alert and ready to go from the first point, and she was. As Sharapova said after the match, “I treated it as maybe a semifinal or final. Ever since I saw the potential matchup with her, I was getting ready for it.”

Sharapova kept Davenport off guard and off balance from the get-go with strong serving and consistent power from the baseline. Davenport wasn't striking the ball that well and did a good job of trying to get her foot in the door in the second set, which was decided on just one break of serve. It was clear the 31-year-old American is not as agile in her movement as Sharapova, who has improved her defensive skills in the last couple of years. Davenport has probably lost a half-step since giving birth. She's well aware of that admitting that she has to definitely get back to where she was before her pregnancy in terms of movement on the court if she is to have a legitimate shot at doing anything against the top players.

Still gathering together her game
For the Southern California native the loss to Sharapova doesn't represent a major setback. It's not a go-back-to-the-drawing-board situation. It's only the fifth tournament back for the former No. 1 and three-time major winner (1998 U.S. Open, 1999 Wimbledon, 2000 Australian Open). She hadn't really played anyone of Sharapova's caliber. Davenport will always struggle against big hitters like Sharapova or the Williams sisters since she needs to strike early and get on top of the point. Sharapova really didn't let her do that and she never found her rhythm. Davenport didn't get to play her kind of game and it cost her.

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Davenport is also re-acclimating herself with the feeling of working to get back to elite status, of being the hunter instead of the hunted. “It's nothing really to prove,” she explained of her comeback.

“I've always enjoyed a challenge, and it's been a huge challenge to come back after having a baby. It's been a lot of fun to try and see what I can accomplish now being older and having my body go through a little bit of a metamorphosis. But it's been a lot of fun because it's been so long since I've been on my way up and trying to improve and trying to go up in the rankings. I definitely missed playing. I missed the daily goal of having something to strive for. And, you know, obviously I'm going to have some setbacks and I didn't play well (in Melbourne), but overall I'm still having fun, so why not? “

Yes, why not? Davenport has actually won three tournaments since her comeback began. She was the feel good story of the Australian Open, even if that didn't last nearly as long as she and many tennis fans had hoped it would. But the American, who has her sights set on playing in the Beijing Olympics this summer, can still turn out to be the feel good story of women's tennis in 2008. Being shown an early Aussie exit by Sharapova was certainly not fun, being taken to task never is but the defeat provided Davenport with a good gauge as to where her game is at and what needs work to get it stronger.

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