US OPEN

September 1, 2004

Serena Williams

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Serena, please

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, there's nothing I can do about it right now. I'm here and I just hope people are really sheltering up out there and getting plenty of water.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm... I don't... I don't... I didn't consider it skimpy.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, it's really sexy and micromini.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think I'm serving real well. Pretty relaxed out there today. I didn't go for too much. I just played enough to get what I needed to do.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I just -- you know, I didn't warm up too much, so I just wanted to just stay relaxed and just feel the shots. You know, I didn't want to put too much pressure out there on myself.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Definitely. But I didn't feel pressure out there at all. I felt pretty comfortable the whole time.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I can't say. No, not really.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm... maybe (smiling). I don't know. I just have a lot of exciting things that I'm wearing this year, so it's fun.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't remember the question.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Did it hamper me? I don't remember what I said.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Not really, no.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I always considered myself as an entertainer. I remember always thinking of myself as a broader picture as opposed to just your normal athlete. I don't think I've ever been your normal athlete. I've always had something different going on in my life.

SERENA WILLIAMS: After the match, I got lots of feedback. I just -- I mean, from the most part, I think people liked it. I hope they liked it. It was a really fun design. It's different. I think it's always exciting to wear something that's different out there, get people and other companies to start thinking on different lines and more fun things. I kind of feel like a superhero out there.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I was playing a day match so I was trying to decide if I was going to wear my dress or the little alleged skimpy outfit - although I don't think it's skimpy at all.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I left my earrings in my purse, so I asked them to bring my purse out.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I could wear them if I wanted to. I think there's a false rumor going around that I can't wear them because the tournament won't let me. But they are totally for me to wear the whole match. It keeps my legs -- it's really like a neoprene that keeps my legs really warm. It's a really light fabric to kind of warm myself up.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it is. But I'm wearing them before I walk out on the court. So usually I'm doing intense warm-up. I actually felt myself being more, you know, kind of warm as opposed to cold. But it's really going to work when I go in the indoor season, I think, as well.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I did. They were so comfortable today, I thought, "Gosh, I should keep them on." Then the other night when I played, they're extremely comfortable. I felt like -- I was trying to debate as to whether I should keep them on or not. But I just keep taking them off.

SERENA WILLIAMS: One of these days I might play in them.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I left my earrings and I was going to put them on before my match but I forgot to put them on. I was hitting warm-up and I realized I didn't have my earrings on so...

SERENA WILLIAMS: It wasn't a distraction. I like to look good when I go out to play. I felt like I was missing an element. I like to wear heavy earrings.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's not really a fetish (laughing). I just -- I really believe in accessorizing. I used to wear lots of bracelets. Now I only have the one bracelet on. I have a ring. I like to have my earrings and necklace. I just like to accessorize on the court. I think it's important for me to look the best I can. I mean most people see me on the tennis court, and a lot of people don't see me elsewhere. That's where I'm mostly photographed at.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, the earrings, no. They're just a funky, fun little plastic thing that my sister gave me.

SERENA WILLIAMS: They ask me about my tennis a little bit.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. It's more fun. Everyone comes in and talks about their game. It's so boring and redundant (laughter). I think you guys like talking to me because I don't talk about the same thing all the time.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I can't believe Lindsay told you guys that. I'll have to talk to her. She's great. But, yeah, when I first went to meet with Nike, I told them, the best thing about me is I don't have to be extremely comfortable, I just want to look, you know, nice out there. I don't want to be in the basic, you know, white skirt and the white shirt with the collar. I want to look different. I'm okay if I have to wear a fabric that's not your basic nylon and spandex. Let's mix it up, try different fabrics. If I'm slightly uncomfortable, that's okay. I'm usually able to play through it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, because they can go out and get the Nike boots.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I just think I represent all females out there who believe in themselves. It doesn't matter what you look like, it's all about having confidence in you. That's not necessarily having to wear some short shorts or extremely small top, it's just about believing in yourself. I think, like, I represent that woman that believes in herself and has confidence in herself and to be unique.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I have a collection coming out in the spring '05, so next year everyone can buy the boots.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think I was really relaxed going out there. I didn't really play -- you know, I don't think I played as well as I did the other night. You know, I just think I was kind of just blah out there. It was enough today, and obviously with each round I want to get better.

SERENA WILLIAMS: 2001?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm almost back to that level. But I don't want to be back at that level. I think that I can go beyond that level because there was so much that I could do better. So that's not the level that I'm trying to get back to at all.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, me, too. We're expected to return at the Australian Open, myself and my sister. We're excited.