Getting back to familiar ground
I believe making it back to the top-10 is a realistic goal for Davenport, who began the Australian Open ranked No. 51 and finished it ranked No. 44. She won three out of the first five events she entered upon her return and her comeback has included wins over such top players as Jelena Jankovic, Daniela Hantuchova, and former French Open and U.S. Open finalist Elena Dementieva. So she shouldn't take too much out of the fashion in which she lost to Sharapova.

A floater -- and a very dangerous one at that -- in Melbourne, Davenport wound up with a very tough draw. Sharapova, Venus and Serena Williams, and Justine Henin were the four players with the best chance of capturing the year's first major. Davenport was hoping not to meet up with any member of this quartet in the early going Down Under. But there was Sharapova across the net from her in the second round and there was nothing the American could do about it. When you are unseeded, sometimes the breaks work against you. Davenport found that out. She might have gone a lot deeper in the major had the draw been different.

It's certainly possible Davenport may have been a bit nervous on the bigger stage of a Grand Slam event, but if she'd had a few more matches under her belt, who knows how she would have fared against Sharapova? Look at Serena's improbable run last year when she won the Australian Open coming out of nowhere and ranked No. 81 at the start of the fortnight. Davenport will likely find her game improving as the year goes on, and writing off her chances at winning a major in 2008 wouldn't be a smart move at all.

Davenport making it work
What really gives fans of Davenport a lot of hope for a big season from her is how much she's enjoying playing. The key is that she is happy being both a mom and a pro player. She feels fulfilled. I realized when I tried to come back from injuries that everyone wants you to be a certain way, but that's not how it works. Davenport likes to play tennis. She likes to get up in the morning with a mission. When all of a sudden that's taken away from you and your life is about changing diapers, that's great, but you lack that goal orientation every single day. Davenport feels she can be a very good mother and also spend four hours a day chasing after her goals and stay in shape. More power to her.

Has Davenport started a racket-wielding mother trend on the women's tour? Can she win a fourth major of her career? While she joins two other mothers on tour -- Sybille Bammer of Austria and Rossana de los Rios of Paraguay -- I don't see mothers on tour as becoming a common occurrence. Most players want to finish their careers before they have children. It takes so much energy and focus to play at this level that most women would find it hard to separate child-rearing from tennis.

It's working for Davenport since she has a great support network and an ability to compartmentalize, but I'm not expecting to see the same from a lot of other players. I know. I'm a mother of three boys. As for winning a major, it's been more than 25 years since motherhood and capturing a Grand Slam event went together. The last mom to win a major was Evonne Goolagong at the 1980 Wimbledon. Is Davenport next to achieve that feat? Stay tuned.

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