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WIMBLEDONJune 27, 2014Venus WilliamsLONDON, ENGLAND P. KVITOVA/V. Williams THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. What do you think you'll take away? What are your feelings about your singles run here and today's match? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, today I did the best I could. I think she played well at every single moment. There weren't a lot of opportunities for either one of us. She played well. I gave it my all. Sometimes it's not enough. Q. What are your feelings about the three matches you played here and the week you've had? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, I feel like I was playing well. If I would have had the opportunity, you know, to play more, that would have helped. But I think obviously this is a great match for me. I'm going to look forward to trying to play a lot of tournaments in the summer so I can just, you know, improve. Q. Was it our imagination or did you look a bit emotional at the end? Thought maybe that was a sign you might not come back. But you'll be back next year playing here again? VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. Have you ever lost a match before? Q. Yeah. VENUS WILLIAMS: Then you can totally figure out what that feels like. Q. You don't mean‑‑ VENUS WILLIAMS: No need for a follow‑up on that one. Sorry. Q. How much can you enjoy the battle of two former champions here going toe‑to‑toe with so few chances like you said? VENUS WILLIAMS: The battle is always a little more enjoyable when you win. When you lose, there's so much more to learn from the situation. I think, you know, just for me to be able to play that well having really not played hardly any matches is good. I think I'll just keep improving. Q. Sounds like even though you came out with a loss, the level you sustained through a lot of that match has you reinvigorated coming out here? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, in those matches it's just the percentage. Just trying to figure out how to, you know, hopefully come out on top, take your chances. There really aren't any chances ever, so... Q. You sound generally invigorated about your level coming out of the tournament, even though it's disappointing to lose? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's definitely disappointing to lose. I don't plan on going into any matches planning on a loss. I would have liked to have had a win. I'll have to wait, unfortunately, quite a few more weeks to play another singles match. Sometimes that can become problematic when you have to wait three, four, five weeks to play again. It might be a better thing for me in the summer to maybe play more tournaments so that way I'll just have a chance, when it's really time to play good tennis, I would have had those matches under my belt. Q. You mentioned playing more matches. What is your summer plan? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, at the moment I'm in Cincinnati and in Montréal. Q. Are you thinking of adding another tournament? VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, this tournament is still going. I'm in the doubles. That's mostly what is on my mind now. After that I'll figure it out. Q. Are you amused by the fact that you've played well this year, you won Dubai, you played a pretty intense match, that people are always trying to retire you? VENUS WILLIAMS: No, people have been trying to retire me since I was like 25. For some reason in tennis we always do that to our players. It's weird. We don't encourage them to stick around. It's like, Get out of here. So I'm not getting out of here. I think this year has been a great year for me. I've had some tough losses, but I've learned a lot from them. I'm finding my way back on my feet. I'm proud of myself for what I'm achieving on the court. Q. In 10 years of covering Wimbledon, Black fans specifically come to watch you and your sister play. I want to know if you are aware of that and how that made you feel? You've made SW19 a more inclusive place. VENUS WILLIAMS: I think in general ‑‑ in America we call them African‑American. Q. Black here. VENUS WILLIAMS: I want to be politically correct. Over the years I've seen more different faces in the audience. I think that's wonderful for tennis to grow, not just for me but for all people to participate in the sport. Now, when I'm on the court, I'm not looking in the stands so I can't see who's there. Sometimes afterwards I take a look. Q. When you first emerged on the tour in Oakland, there was a big, big hoopla about you. What is more weird or strange, the big buildup early in your career or what you just said? VENUS WILLIAMS: To what? Q. The treatment in the media. VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm not sure if I get what you're saying. I was quite young and I'm really glad I didn't crack under the pressure. Looking back, there was a ton. Thankfully I believed in myself just enough to get through it and had a lot of great support from my family. That was good. As of now, I'm excited just to be playing this sport. Every match is an opportunity to make something happen. Q. Would you consider joining Serena and playing Stanford? VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah, like I said, I'm so focused on the doubles right now. That's what I really have to focus on, is being a great team member, just unbelievable, keeping the level of my play up, then go from there. Q. 14 years after your first title here, how do you summon the fortitude to play a match like that with such intensity? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's a shame there had to be a loser in this match and more of a shame that it had to be me. But all I can say is that it's great to see women's tennis on such a high level. I always expect a great match when I play her. You look at our scorelines, they're never easy. She manages to somehow bring her best tennis against me. So when I walk out on the court, I have to expect that from her. Q. I know you wouldn't continue playing if you didn't think you could win. Do you think you have another Grand Slam title within you? VENUS WILLIAMS: I want to win Grand Slams. Everybody does. You don't get 'em. Look at what happened today. No one gives it to you. They snatch it away and say, Mine. That's what I'll have to do is snatch it, say, Mine, too, growl if need be. That's what it takes. Q. Have you gotten better over the course of your career at taking positives out of defeats? VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I'm motivated by every defeat no matter how upsetting it is. It's never fun. I'm motivated to work harder each and every time, whatever stage it was in my career. Q. Kimiko Date Krumm has put her remarkable longevity down to eating a sushi diet, getting a lot of sleep. What is the secret to your longevity? VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I've missed big blocks of my career off the court on injury. That has kept me regenerated. I've got extra steam because I have to make up for lost time. Q. A few minutes ago you said you've learned from your losses. What have you learned from the loss today and recent losses even when you're playing so well about what level you can attain now and in the future? VENUS WILLIAMS: I think today I gave it my all. Obviously it's just been an hour or so since I played the match. I think off the ground I was executing as well as I would have liked. But also, like I said, a lot of it you can give as much as you can, but having an opportunity to be in a situation to play more matches that helps you to be that much more calmer, that much more efficient. I think that pretty much for me was the difference. Q. There was so little sustained momentum for either one of you. Was there any one point, maybe in the second set, you were a couple points from taking the match, that you wish you have back? VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don't wish for the past personally. I did the best I could on those points. She came up with unbelievable serves or something, you know, incredible, great second serves, the whole match. You know, it's not like I gave it away or made horrible mistakes or any of those things. She just managed to play really well on those points. Q. One of the most incredible things we have in the sport recently is seeing Serena late into Grand Slams fighting. When you see her doing that, what goes through your mind and what do you think is at the core of that fight? VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I'm fighting with her. I'm in the standing rocking back and forth, almost hitting the ball. I'm pretty much right there with her fighting. Obviously my perspective's a little bit different than most other people's. Q. Petra had almost twice as many unforced errors as you did. Is that surprising? VENUS WILLIAMS: I haven't had a chance to look at the stats yet. But she goes for every shot against me. Now, I'm not sure about other players. I don't always see her play. But it's definitely going for broke. So, like I said, I haven't seen the stats. Q. I think your first serve was like 60%. If you had been a little bit better today, do you think you would have won? VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think I was bad today, so I would have liked to have won. The only thing I can do is learn from it and continue to improve. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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