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WIMBLEDONJuly 6, 2015Serena WilliamsLONDON, ENGLAND S. WILLIAMS/V. Williams THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You have your stats there. How do you think you played? SERENA WILLIAMS: I literally just got them while I was walking in. I haven't had a chance to look at them yet. Q. How do you think you played today? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I played solid. I knew that playing someone like Venus, that's beaten me the most, I have to be solid. I had to cut down on my unforced errors. I had to take a lot of chances. So I was able to do that. Q. Do you enjoy playing Venus? SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, you know, I enjoy just playing the game. You know, sometimes you have to play people that you don't want to play. That happens. But overall I just enjoy it. Q. What do you hope for the future as far as the possibilities of playing with Venus on such a grand stage? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, what do you mean, what do I hope? Q. When you were interviewed when you came off the court, you said you didn't know how many more opportunities there will be. What are your thoughts about that and the future for opportunities? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you never know. It's been six years since we played each other. Like I said, I just really was enjoying the moment out there. It was such a great vibe, such a great situation to be in, when we were both so young and dreaming of coming to Wimbledon. Not only did we fulfill our dreams, we both won it five times. That's pretty amazing. I just had an opportunity to reflect on that. Q. For the future, what do you hope there will be given you're both playing at such a high level right now? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, we're both playing really good. So I think this opportunity could come often again. Hopefully it will come a little later in the tournament, but I definitely think it could present itself again. Q. Now that it's over, did you dread facing her this early in the tournament, with all the stuff around it, the Grand Slam possibility, and she seemed to be playing pretty well? SERENA WILLIAMS: She's playing great. Like I said, I no longer answer questions about Grand Slams. But, yeah, she's been really playing great. I don't enjoy playing her in general so early at any type of tournament. I'm totally okay if it's at a later stage. That's just how it worked out. Q. Seeing how Venus has come back and what you've seen from her today, what can you expect from her? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, she's playing really well.  She probably could have played a lot better, as well. I've been there watching her practice every day and train. And she's practicing well, and she's putting in the time and she's feeling better. So you can start to see that being reflected in her game. Boy, she has a game to just knock anyone's socks off. So you just have to be ready. Q. Do you head out there trying to tell yourself that you're not playing Venus, you're just playing another opponent? Has your thinking about that changed over the years from when you first played her? SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, in the beginning I had to really kind of focus on that. I had to really think like, No, I'm not playing Venus. But now, you know, I wasn't thinking like that at all. I'm thinking, I'm playing a tough opponent. She's been playing so well. Oh, my God, how am I going to be able to overcome this? It wasn't necessarily playing Venus, it was playing my opponent and the ball. Q. Where do you feel you are emotionally and physically at this point? You had a tough match with Heather, then facing Venus in the fourth round. There's all this pomp and circumstance. Do you feel you'll recover well for tomorrow? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I look forward to tomorrow. I feel like my tournament has finally begun. This is where I feel really comfortable in a Grand Slam. Q. I remember you saying in Paris at this point in the tournament, you have an idea of what else is going on in the tournament. The top half of this draw has been strong. How does it feel when you're in a tournament that looks lopsided from the outside, more opportunities in some parts than others? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't think about it so much. I always seem to be on the side that's more lopsided. I'm on the heavier side it seems. Maybe because I'm one of the heavy hitters and it makes it heavier. But also with Maria, Victoria and Venus, there's a lot of heavy hitters on this side. It doesn't matter. At the end of the day you need to get through these matches now, sooner or later, you know. Q. This is the first time in over 10 years we've had three American women in the quarters here, Coco and Madison making it through. Thoughts on getting some support late in the tournament? SERENA WILLIAMS: It's really great, especially from both those ladies. Madison is playing really well. Coco, as well, getting in the quarterfinals. I played with her in Fed Cup. We were able to develop a relationship. It's so good to see all her hard work paying off. Yeah, it's really exciting to have three Americans in the quarterfinals. Three out of eight is pretty good. Q. How much of an internal struggle was it for you in that final game to make the challenge? It seemed like both of you throughout the match were reluctant to make the challenge. As I asked Venus, she said she used to beat you quite a lot when you were younger. Did you ever cheat on the line calling to move it your way when you were a kid? SERENA WILLIAMS: That's the past. I was young. Q. Is that yes? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes (smiling). I was young and I made mistakes. If it was close to the line, I just called it. She always beat me, so... Q. The serve was well out. You seemed to pause before you challenged. SERENA WILLIAMS: I didn't. I went like this, and he yells automatically, Challenge. I said, I didn't even ask yet for challenge. I thought the ball was really far out. I was whining and complaining. Yeah, so I didn't hesitate. All the other ones I wanted to challenge on, she kept hitting the lines and the lines. I thought they were going out, then I saw they were on the lines. I don't challenge out of stress anymore. Q. How does it make you feel when you hear some of the younger generation, the next generation of American players, talk about the inspiration they've drawn from you and Venus? SERENA WILLIAMS: It's an amazing feeling. Just to be a part of, you know, the last generation that played, still continues to play tennis, it's great. Then to see these young players say they're inspired, it's unbelievable. It's like when I go out there, you play to do your best, you dream of winning. No kid dreams of inspiring other women and other players. That's just a side of it that you don't realize you are fortunate enough to do. For me, it's really, really exciting. Q. Venus said afterwards you looked in pretty good shape to win this tournament. She said it's going to take something pretty special to beat you. What are your thoughts on that? SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, I don't know. I'm just going out there and doing the best I can. I hope not to have a bad day. I have a couple, three rounds to play. Just going to try to make it through the next one, the next one, then the next one. At the end of the day, I'll just do the best I can. Q. It's said of siblings, like Bob and Mike, you and Venus, that they know the next move, the next tendency. Talk about being so close to Venus, sensing what she's going to do off court and on court. SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's interesting because I'm able to get a little head start on some shots because I kind of feel. I watch a lot of her matches. I'm always supporting. I'm her biggest fan. I always feel kind of what's going on. You got to just play the unexpected, I think. Q. What shot do you particularly know? SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm not going to tell you what shot she's going to do and where. C'mon. Q. Something that's come up in the last couple of days is that fans of Nick Kyrgios have taken to putting chocolate spread on their faces as a method of supporting him. I wonder what you think of the appropriateness of that kind of support? SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, gosh, I never‑‑ I don't know. I don't even want to talk about that. I don't care. Really? I didn't know that. I mean, I think you're better asking the fans that question. Maybe they can give you some insight. And let me know, I'd be interested to know. Q. What effect do you think growing up with Venus on the court, having the rivalry with her over all these years, how has that made you the player you are, or contributed to it? SERENA WILLIAMS: I always say I wouldn't be the player I am today if it wasn't for Venus. Just having an opportunity to watch her win matches, watch her go to the top, and me wanting to be there because she was there. Her practicing next to me on the court. That inspiration, her inspiring me. I would never be here today in this chair if it wasn't for her. Q. Either Victoria Azarenka or Belinda Bencic next. Vika gave you such a tough battle at the French Open. You only played Belinda once. Each of their games, how do you see that matchup? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I've had a couple of tough matches with Victoria. It doesn't matter who I play, I'm going to be ready. I'm going to have to be ready. She's due to win big and to do really well. Incidentally, so am I. Belinda had a really big win on grass. I feel like she's a really good grass court player. She's a smart player. Yeah, we'll see. Q. Venus told us, talking about her final with Lindsay 10 years ago here, she remembered a piece of advice you gave her, telling her, If you take your opportunities, you're going to get more. Is there any piece of advice that Venus has ever given you that stands out right now? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. She always gives me such positive, good advice. She always says that, Just no matter what, never stop, you know, just always stick to your guts and follow how you feel, follow your gut. Taking that on the court has helped me out a lot. Especially in Australia, I was down and out. I just stuck to it, came back. Q. It was a nice and affectionate moment at the end. Can you perhaps tell us what you said, the words exchanged? SERENA WILLIAMS: We were just like, Good job, yeah. Q. Madison, you played her in Australia, her biggest slam match. From that match, did you see in her sort of a readiness to be able to make these deep slam runs? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, she has a great opportunity to be in the final, I guess. I don't know who she plays next. You know, I think on paper, she's a great player. I think she's a wonderful person. She's just really smart and nice and cool. It's hard to not want to see someone like her do well. You just want her to do well. So I really hope she can just go really far. She has the opportunity to. Q. What would you say you've learned from the years of experience in facing your sister, which is a situation that is so unlike everything else that you've encountered in your career? SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, I just learned that, you know, life, there's so many things that are more important in life than tournaments and wins. No matter what happens, no matter how tough matches are, how hard we play, still family and spirituality, that should be number one in your life, and it is. Q. You've said so many incredible things about Venus. Is there any small thing you can say about your sister that on rare occasion sort of gets under your skin or you don't appreciate the most? SERENA WILLIAMS: Her dog. He is bad. But I love him. Q. What's wrong with the dog? SERENA WILLIAMS: He kind of uses me, yeah. Whenever she comes home, he goes back to her. Kind of gets me excited. Been talking to her about that, though. Venus does nothing wrong. She's like the perfect sister. Q. People always say that you're most vulnerable in the opening week. Do you feel like that's the case? When it gets to the second week, something kind of clicks for you? SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I felt like I've had a couple losses in the first week, and now suddenly I'm vulnerable. That's how it is. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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