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Chris Evert, Madison Keys, and the tennis world recently congratulated Lindsay Davenport on becoming USA’s Billie Jean King Cup captain. Davenport will replace Kathy Rinaldi, who led the team to the title in 2017 and runner-up in 2018 and will step down after this year’s finals in Seville, Spain.
Davenport is one of the most decorated players in American tennis history, having won 55 singles titles, 38 doubles titles (including three Grand Slam titles in both singles and doubles), and a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
She also represented her country in the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly known as the Fed Cup), winning three titles in 1996, 1999, and 2000, with a record of 26-3 in singles and 7-0 in doubles.
The 47-year-old is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and has been working as a coach and a television analyst since she retired in 2010.
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Davenport’s appointment was welcomed by many former and current players, who expressed their support on social media. The 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert, tweeted on Thursday, September 28:
"Great and smart choice! Congratulations Lindsay!👏👏👏👍👍👍."
James Blake also joined the chorus and posted on Wednesday:
"Congratulations @LDavenport76 and good luck to you and the team."
Meanwhile, Madison Keys, a former US Open finalist and one of Davenport’s former pupils, shared Blake’s tweet and wrote:
"A great choice ♥️."
Roger Federer and Pete Sampras' ex-coach Paul Annacone also congratulated Davenport.
The 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals will take place from November 7-12 at the Estadio de la Cartuja, Seville.
"I always felt a tremendous amount of pride representing my country, and I'm excited to do it now in a different role" - Lindsay Davenport expresses gratitude for being chosen as Captain
Lindsay Davenport expressed her joy and gratitude for being chosen as the new leader of Team USA, stating that she felt honored to be part of the distinguished group of captains that the country has had in the past:
"I look forward to watching and supporting the US team in the Finals later this year. 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 US hopefully winning it this year so that when I’m captain, we’re defending champions," Lindsay Davenport said.
The United States is the most successful nation in the history of the competition, having won 18 titles since its inception in 1963. The last time they lifted the trophy was in 2017, when they defeated Belarus 3-2 in Minsk.
