NEW YORK—Hall of Famer Billie Jean King famously said "pressure is a privilege."

Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport says pressure is part of the job.

US Open: Lindsay Davenport Q & A

The former world No. 1 said sometimes the media uses pressure as an excuse for favored players who lose, when the reality is all players feel some sort of pressure each time they play.

"I think sometimes the media makes the pressure out to be an excuse for the loss," Davenport told the media at the US Open today. "There is pressure in every single match and there is different ramifications if you win or lose.

"There is still pressure in early rounds of slams because the goal is to win them. You're always the favorite if you're a top player. "

The three-time Grand Slam champion said the most intense pressure she's seen was on Serena Williams when she played for the calendar Grand Slam at the 2015 US Open.

Aside from that tournament, Davenport said pressure is part of the game.

"I think the most pressure I have ever seen a pressure have to deal with would be Serena here last year when she was trying to win something so rare that it just seemed to affect her game," Davenport said. "But other than that, I mean, the players get pretty used to handling it. Every match there is pressure. Every tournament there is pressure if you're good. So I never really love to hear that, to make an excuse for the losses, because that's just part of the game."

Photo credit: International Tennis Hall of Fame