AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 27, 2005

Serena Williams

THE MODERATOR: First question for Serena, please.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I can't say it was my most satisfying. I'm only in the final now. I would obviously love to win here, and I've had some pretty satisfying wins in my career.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yesterday. I felt that I was playing well, I was practicing well, I was really feeling my shots and I was really feeling my balls. Even in the first set I was just making all these errors but I'm thinking I'm not like practicing like this, it's going to have to come together.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Either one 'cause I have to fight. At this point it's the final of a Grand Slam. Everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to fight as hard as they want to. You can't underestimate anyone.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, in the second, I thought, "Okay, God, I could have won this set already. Why am I still out here?" I thought, "Okay, well, maybe I should have played better. So just fight for every point." In the third I thought, "Okay, I've been in this situation before. No problem." Then the third matchpoint came around. I was like, "Okay, haven't been in this situation before. It's a new experience for me, but I can keep fighting."

SERENA WILLIAMS: Actually I did. I thought, "Okay, Serena, you're down matchpoint but that's okay, you've been down matchpoint before. It's a little closer this time." So I thought, "Okay, I could do this."

SERENA WILLIAMS: Those are always the best wins, when you're down matchpoint because it's like you realize that you can't give up at any -- I personally never give up, but I thought, "Okay, I definitely don't want to give up now." I think those are the best wins, when one is down matchpoint for me.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think I was battling Maria and myself. I was playing two opponents because I was making a tremendous amount of errors. I wasn't doing what I had practiced. But I just tried to stay positive out there the whole time.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I thought I got one -- well, I never argue unless I'm a hundred sure. I was a hundred sure on one shot, and that's the one I argued. I don't know about the rest. I wasn't personally a hundred sure. I'm not sure how they were. So I can only comment on that shot that I know was out. I know my shots.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think, I mean, I've had a lot of bad luck. So now obviously I am in favor of it. But I think it should be to a point where you can only challenge like two or three calls in a match. A player can't challenge every call.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I definitely think she's probably looked at me as a reference maybe growing up, which is exciting. I never thought -- I'm so silly. I'd never thought I'd play someone that probably looked up to me. I definitely think she has a fighting spirit and I think that's gotten her to where she is today.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm still a fighter, too. So overcome.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I said I'm still a fighter as well, so... I'm still top fighter out there.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't remember. I'll have to look at the tape. I don't remember at all. I just remember -- I don't remember (laughing).

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. It seemed like that. I thought okay. But then sometimes if I wasn't grunting, I felt as if I wasn't giving all the effort. So in the last game I thought, "Okay, I'm going to give everything, give all the effort here." Then I started to grunt again. I don't know. It was weird. I try not to think about that too much when I'm out there.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's not conscience (sic).

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's pretty loud. I think it's pretty obvious. But I also grunt really, really loud sometimes so...

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. I think sometimes a grunt can work for you or against you, so...

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I'm just saying a grunt, you know, a grunt, whether you have one or not, it could either work for you but sometimes it also works against you.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think that's one of the effects it has, so yeah.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, I noticed. But I obviously didn't do anything about it. She was better off grunting (laughter).

SERENA WILLIAMS: She's always been one of my favorite people in the locker room. She's always been so nice and so sweet. I've always respected her as a person, and it's good to see her doing so well finally. I'm happy for her. But obviously, I'm, you know -- whoever wins, it's going to be a tough match, whatever. I have to be ready.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it would be a good rivalry for sure. I think there's a lot of good rivalries out there. That definitely could be one of them, most definitely.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I had so much support out there and it was so fabulous, you know, to have and to see. I never really had so much support, so I was really, really excited. Just felt really honored to have that support.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I won't be able to tell you that information. That's Classified G14. Sorry (laughing).

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I really was upset about it. Like I said, I always do well when I hit with her in a tournament because she hits so well, especially in practice. She just blasts these balls left and right. I really would need it for each of these opponents coming up. I'm hitting with Mark Hlawaty, he's from Australia. I've hit with him -- I'm bad at math. I'm 13 matches and 0 hitting with Mark, so it's pretty good.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Definitely. Honestly, I feel like I need every match. So I would have not been happy if I had lost because I don't think I played to the best of my ability because I had - I don't know - the last time I looked, it was like 43 errors. I got sick to my stomach at that sight. I was like, "Come on." But I definitely think it was a good win for me. But I don't think I would go back and be like, "Oh, I played so awesome. I won this." I really think there's so much I can do to improve.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Honestly, I feel like practicing right now. I'm okay.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Because this is what I love to do. I love nothing more than walking out there, hearing my name being announced, "Serena Williams," the crowd goes wild. I love that feeling. I love being able to perform and being able to play a sport that's so fun, you can travel the world. It's just -- I think it's a great, great thing for me. I wouldn't give it up right now for anything.

SERENA WILLIAMS: This goes on the matchpoint-down list. So I have about four matches on that list. This will be one of them.

SERENA WILLIAMS: The Clijsters one. I can't think off the top of my head. I think I played --

SERENA WILLIAMS: Los Angeles against Lindsay. Then Sydney once.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Against Davenport, actually.

SERENA WILLIAMS: There's a few of them out there on the list, so...