Billie Jean King Cup: Lindsay Davenport named next U.S. team captain

The USTA recently announced that Hall-of-Famer, Grand Slam champion and four-time year-end world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport will be the next captain of the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team. A three-time Billie Jean King Cup champion, Davenport will become the team’s 20th captain following the 2023 Finals, which will be captained by Kathy Rinaldi.

“Playing Billie Jean King Cup was always something that was a huge priority and a huge highlight for me during my career. I always felt a tremendous amount of pride representing my country, and I'm excited to do it now in a different role,” Davenport said. “Joining a prestigious list of U.S. captains is an incredible honor, and with the group of players that we have now and their great personalities, I really couldn't ask for a better time to have this position.”

Davenport was one of the most successful U.S. Billie Jean King Cup players in history, helping to lead the U.S. to titles in 1996, 1999 and 2000. She played in 20 ties over a record 11 years, going 26-3 in singles and 7-0 in doubles. Her 26 singles victories are tied with Billie Jean King for second all-time for the U.S., behind leader Chris Evert, and her 33 total wins rank fourth, behind Evert, King and Rosie Casals.

Davenport was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014 after a career that saw her win three Grand Slam singles and doubles titles, along with the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal in singles. She won 55 singles and 38 doubles titles in all, spent 98 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 1998, 2001 and 2004-05.

Since retiring in 2010, Davenport has worked as a commentator and as a coach, notably of American Madison Keys. As captain, Davenport will have a year-round role with USTA Player Development, traveling to support American players and serving as a mentor for American pros and juniors.

“Lindsay has been the embodiment of a champion throughout her career, and few players have had as much success playing for their country as she has,” said Brian Hainline, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA. “We’re excited to welcome her experience and leadership back to the Billie Jean King Cup team at a time when the present and future of American women’s tennis couldn’t be brighter.”

Current captain Kathy Rinaldi, who will continue on as USTA Player Development’s Head of Women’s Tennis after stepping down from the captaincy, will lead the U.S. in the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals November 7-12 in Seville, Spain. The Finals will feature 12 nations competing in four round-robin groups of three, with the group winners qualifying for the knockout semifinals. The U.S. was drawn into Group A with Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

“I look forward to watching and supporting the U.S. team in the Finals later this year,” Davenport said. “Kathy has been an amazing role model to not only the players now but also myself, and I look forward to continuing what she started the last seven years. She’s done a remarkable job and I look forward to the U.S. hopefully winning it this year so that when I’m captain, we’re defending champions.”

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Source: USTA; Top Photo: Derek Holtham (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0); Second Photo: Derek Holtham (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)