There’s no doubt Lindsay Davenport is one of the best tennis minds around. She’s been a top player, has provided great and insightful commentary on the Tennis Channel and of course coached Madison Keys to her biggest moments.

I remember watching Lindsay Davenport between 94 and 97 thinking that she’ll be a decent top 10 player, but no way she’ll win multiple Grand Slams and reach number one. How wrong I was. Lindsay just kept improving, and in my mind laid the ground work for the smooth, long and powerful strokes you see from tall women like Kvitová and Pliskova. When it was all said and done, Lindsay won three Grand Slams, an Olympic Gold, and finished the year ranked number one three times. Not too shabby for a player who routinely played tennis greats Hingis, Graf and Williams in finals. She did a lot of this because she played smart tennis and understood her limitations and most importantly her opponents.

So, what does one with such a great Tennis IQ do in retirement? Well, she becomes a coach of course! Beginning in 2015 and through 2018, she coached Madison Keys. She didn’t do too shabby of a job either. Everyone knows Madison thrived under Davenport’s tutelage. Which is also probably one of the reasons the partnership was strong for years.

Being well coached can be the difference between being a top player and a player that hovers around the top 100. Just ask Stan Wawrinka if he agrees with that statement. Also, ask numerous players that have parted with great coaches only to see their careers stagger – thinking about Marcelo Rios and Larry Stefanki. So, having someone like Lindsey on your corner is well worth whatever compensation package she gets. Just check out Madison’s results during their run together. Unfortunately, and apparently due to family commitments, Davenport and Keys split amicably in 2018.

I suspect this won’t be the last we see of Davenport though. It would be nice to see her jump in and coach a rising American. Someone like Frances Tiafoe or Danielle Collins come to mind. Let’s get a petition going! Lindsey come back! Get back to coaching someone to greatness.