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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 21, 2015

Serena Williams

CINCINNATI, OHIO

S. WILLIAMS/A. Ivanovic
3‑6, 6‑4, 6‑2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What does it mean to "pull a Serena"? If you could define that for you us, we'd appreciate it.
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's like when you're down and maybe down a break in a set and a set, and you pull a Serena is when you come back and win.

Q. Reel off 6 straight games?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, just winning. Yeah, just coming back from that is called a Serena.

Q. Sounds like you were pretty happy with that final set that you played, but can you talk about the first two sets and what was maybe not going great for you and how you were able to turn it around?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think I just was a little lethargic in the first set, but I think Ana played really well. I think she was ‑‑she was hitting winners on pretty much all my second serves. Even if I hit them like 95 or higher, she was still cracking them out.
I just had to get used to that and just be determined to get those back, too.

Q. You talked about a little bit of rust in Canada. All credit to Ana in the first set as you mentioned. If you were playing the full schedule and didn't have that rust, do you think you would have won that first set today?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I don't know. There were some key moments. I mean, I couldn't play for a while. I have that arm injury, so it's just getting over that and then, you know, trying to get better.
I don't know. I think she played well. Whether I would've won or not, I don't know, but just getting the win was helpful.

Q. Was there anything extra in this match just because you played Ana for the championship here last year?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, it just was a little pressure because she plays so well. Just wanted to do really well in this match more than anything.

Q. You said you did a Serena.
SERENA WILLIAMS: You missed it. You're late, Ben.

Q. I know. I'm just wondering, does it surprise you on any level when you do that, when you are yourself, or are you just used to doing it?
SERENA WILLIAMS: When I pull a Serena?

Q. Yeah.
SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I don't think about it, really. I just kind of ‑‑I just go out there and just do the best that I can, and then, you know, I never give up.
So I just keep going and keep trying. I kind of think that should be coined if you guys could write...

Q. It's already in there.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Okay.

Q. What are you feeling when you get on a roll like you did? It's got to feel really good that everything is going well for you and just rolling. How does that feel?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It feels good. It's like I definitely want to be out there to do the best that I can, and it feels like I'm in a zone. I like to be in that zone.

Q. When specifically did you feel it on that roll, in particular?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, when I was down love‑2. Was I down love‑2?

Q. Yeah.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, so I felt like even though I was down I felt like I was playing better and just everything started to connect.

Q. Obviously a tough match. You talked about being poised on the court. How happy were you today with how positive you were able to stay in such a tough match?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think I did really good with that. Better than anything else.
So I think that was pretty good for me.

Q. On ESPN you said that was the best six games you had played this summer. What specifically were you happy with? And do you think that it kind of now you're kind of US Open preparation your US Open preparation clicks in?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I was just happy with my intensity level and more or less my mental just in terms of getting in the frame of mind of little tricks that I always do for each game.
You know, things that I always do. Like believe it or not, even though I have been playing for such a long time, it still takes me a while to get back in that groove. So I felt like my mental aspect was getting back there.

Q. Back there or clicked?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Getting back there.

Q. Are there points in a match when you go into Serena drive? You kind of flip that switch, that you actively say, I'm going to take it to the next level?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, today there was. Usually there isn't a point where I'm like, Oh, I'm going to do this, but today there definitely was.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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