Lindsay Davenport Takes Center Court as a Working Mom

Lindsay Davenport has always been a competitor and she's not going to let having a baby keep her off the tennis courts that she loves. She recently returned to competitive tennis just a few months after the birth of her son, Jagger, with husband Jon Leach. She even wants a shot at playing in the Olympics in 2008.

Here are some highlights from the interview:



On going back to tennis so quickly:
"I looked at is as a fun challenge to see if I could come back quickly and give me a little kick in the pants to get back being active. My mom went back to work after she had all of us. Both my sisters work. I feel like I want to be able to do it all, and that's being a good mother and having some kind of career, hopefully."

On finding some balance:
"I totally understand now the work mom's guilt. If I go out and practice, I feel bad about leaving [Jagger]. It's an interesting challenge."

On motherhood:
"You expect it's going to be a lot of time and commitment, and it is. It's amazing when you don't get as much sleep or you have to be on someone else''s schedule, and it isn't an issue at all. Tennis players are used to being selfish. It's actually been fun. You have a different sense of things."



On choosing the name Jagger:
"It's just a name we both like."

On Jagger's birth:
"We had some problems with the umbilical cord, so I had a C-section three weeks early. Fortunately or unfortunately, however you look at it, I didn't experience labor." (Jagger's umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck the last month of her pregnancy.)

On life with Jagger:
"It's truly great. He's been such a good baby so far. He doesn't cry and fuss. We're so happy to finally have him."



On finding out she was pregnant:
"It was shortly after I got back from Beijing, so that was officially my last tournament. I took a test without telling my husband. The first ting Jon did was run out and buy like 10 more tests. The guys are never sure."

What being a mom means to her:
"You have all these dreams for your kid, but until [he or she] comes, I don't think you have any idea what you're in for. But it means that my life is going to be bigger now, have a bigger meaning than it did before, which is an overwhelming thought."

On what kind of mom she wants to be:
"I'm definitely more on the strict side, but I think you can be both [strict and doting]. I don't want to be my child's best friend. I think sometimes that mistake is made these days. I would definitely consider myself to be more of a disciplinarian than my husband."

Source: Tennis Magazine