WIMBLEDON

June 23, 2005

Serena Williams

THE MODERATOR: Serena Williams for you.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, I was feeling a little problems in my left leg in the beginning, so it was kind of just getting the feeling, getting used to it. So it's more bone.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Right now I'm working on playing through the pain and just seeing how it goes. And just taking it a match every day, if I can.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, that's what the radiologist report was.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think with fractures you have to let it heal with time and let it go. Play it by -- but, you know, it's weird. Because with me, some days it feels good and then as long as -- in general, as long as I tape it, it's okay. I haven't felt, you know... Then some days it gets a little cold maybe and it gets a little strange feeling. But I have to have pretty heavy taping on it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I had a long time off.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I didn't do anything, actually. So...

SERENA WILLIAMS: I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it at first. I was like, "Oh, I'm not sure if I'm going to go. Let me just try another practice day or whatever." And, again, just every day I was like that until my flight came on Tuesday and I was on it (laughing). "Guess I'm going to Wimbledon." I came here and I practiced more than I had in four weeks, so that was kind of encouraging. And just, you know, I thought, "Okay, well..." I'm just taking it a day at a time.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Honestly, I haven't gotten too tired. Like first match I played, it was over two hours. Was it over two hours? I think so. I got a second wind the third set, so I just think I'm just fighting on adrenaline. I have a lot of it. I've just been working out. I'm not in the best shape as I would prefer to be, as I have been in the past. But I think tennis is 60, 70% mental, and I figure I've been playing since I'm 4 and I'm 20 - depending who I'm talking to, could be 22 sometimes (laughing). Record says I'm 23. So what's my math, 19 years? 19 years. So I figure if I can't do it now, I'm never going to be able to play tennis. That's how I kind of looked at it coming in. I thought, "Well, if I don't come, doesn't really matter to me. But I should give it a shot," you know. Because if I can't do it now, I mean, when am I going to be able to play.

SERENA WILLIAMS: For the first time I took off, yes. But now it's better. So now I can get back in shape, but I'm playing Wimbledon. But I feel that I'm pretty well fit. I'm more fit now than I was in -- during the clay court season, for sure.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I definitely think I'm going to have to pick up the level of my game as well, and just not hitting it the way I want to, and I'm not doing technical things the way I would like to. So I keep promising the next match I'm going to do A, B, C and D. And I didn't do it today. So, I mean, in the last set, I'm like, "Okay, in the next match, I promise to do A, B, C, and D," then I stopped. And I'm like, "No, I'm going to do it now." So I think that was a step that I actually started doing a little bit of the things I wanted to work on in the end of the third set. But I'm here to stay. I think I have the best chances of people left in the draw. I think I'm probably the most mentally tough person out here. I feel as if I have nothing to lose and only things to gain and I want to win this title really bad.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I felt really good in Australia.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I guess. I didn't really train too much until I got there. But, hey, it happens.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I felt really good in Australia, in the Australian Open '03, all '02.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. I think I felt really good at the US Open '02. Probably the best I ever felt.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I haven't even realized I won seven. It sounds kind of cool. But I definitely want to get more, so... I like that number, but I got to get more than that. So I think confidence definitely comes from winning Slams and winning matches. And if you sit back -- if I were to sit back and think about it, I would probably not be so hard on myself.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I can't say.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Definitely nowhere near there, Margaret Court or Billie. No way. I don't think I have the patience for that. I don't see myself playing 20 years. But I have a number in my head, and I will reach that number.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Excuse me?

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's definitely not single digits. Definitely not seven.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You can't feel sorry. I find myself feeling sorry for people when I'm watching matches. I was watching Tim Henman playing. I felt so sorry for him. But then I thought, "Why wouldn't the other guy let him win?" I thought, "Wait a minute, that's not the other attitude to have. The other guy obviously wanted to win, too." I don't feel that way when I'm out on the court. I feel like I have to win under any circumstances. I definitely agree with that. Especially at Wimbledon. It doesn't matter who you're playing, because this is Wimbledon. This is The Championships. It is another Grand Slam.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Basically, I didn't play, I just competed. I don't think I played well.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, that's a tough question (smiling). Yeah. I like to play a lot of players. There's a lot of players. When I see them, I'm like, "Oh, yeah, cool."

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely. I'm like, "I'm not gonna lose no matter if I die. I'm going to have to wait until I get off the court and die. I'm gonna win this match." It's exciting playing those players. I love it.