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WIMBLEDONJuly 3, 2004Serena WilliamsWIMBLEDON, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: Serena Williams for you. Q. Didn't turn out too good for you, but do you think the result is good for women's tennis? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's definitely good to see some different people besides myself, my sister and Kim and Justine. So it's great. Q. What happened out there today? What was your take on what went on out there? SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, I just didn't -- I don't know what happened. I have to look at the film. I don't think -- yeah, I didn't play great and I didn't win. Q. What was going through your mind as you watched her go into the stands to hug her dad and then as she was completing her victory lap? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, at that point I was just pretty much thinking about, you know, what I was going to do next. I was really -- actually, I was really happy for her because, you know, I know that feeling and that moment. It's like you can't -- there's no better feeling than that. Q. You said the other day you had a de'ja vu experience. You said you played a younger player in the final. Did you win that de'ja vu experience? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't remember. They're never really clear. I can never really remember. Q. The result aside, how different was this final compared to last year's one? SERENA WILLIAMS: I put a lot of stress on myself. I think I put too much stress on myself going into it. I figured, you know, I really wanted to win more than anything. I was so focused the night before, the day before, I mean, a week before. I just really was so, you know, "I got to do this. If I don't do this, there's no ifs, ands or buts about it. I've got to do it" you know, maybe I shouldn't be so hard on myself. Q. Do you think you just caught a player today that was really, really hot? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think she played her best tennis today, and for the whole tournament, for sure. You know, it's normal. When I play people, they normally play their best tennis - not normally, they always play their best tennis against me and my sister. So today I knew she was going to be playing really well. Q. Were you surprised she didn't back off at all, no matter what the point, in trouble or not, she just kept on playing the same way? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, because I watched her play and I knew that she, you know -- she's kinds of like me, she doesn't back off. She keeps giving it her all. Q. What would you consider, especially in the second set when you started coming back, the turning points of the match? What were your chances and did you take all of them? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I had a few chances. I had a lot of chances, but I didn't take them. So, whatever. Q. Was that in some ways like playing against Venus, a player with a terrific reach, going for the lines the whole time? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was actually. Venus, she has really good reach. So that was definitely carried the same way. She had a really good serve. Today she had a really good serve. So, yeah, for sure. Q. How painful is it to lose your title here now, not defend? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you know, it's not easy. It's definitely not easy, especially for me, because I love more than anything, I like to win - so maybe too much. It's definitely not easy. Q. Does it bring you even more motivation, though, re-double your efforts? You've had a tough time coming back obviously from the injury. What does it do for your motivation? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely going to triple my efforts, do everything I can to play better next time. And, you know, going into the summer I think it will be fun because, you know, I have a great chance on the hard court. I love hard. I just love playing on that surface, so it's going to be great. Q. Did you speak with your mom? Can you share what she said to you? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, she just gave me a hug. Q. You played Maria not too long ago. What was different in the Maria today than the one you played in March? SERENA WILLIAMS: This is the final of Wimbledon. Before it was like the fourth round of Nasdaq. And there is a big difference. When anyone's in the final, you're going to give 300%. I think she treed a little bit today. I think she played her best tournament, her best tennis maybe in her life. But this is normal. I mean, I should have done the same thing in the final of Wimbledon. Why not? Q. Talking about being too hard on yourself, these recurring injuries that Venus and you are having, even if you won't admit it now, is it because you want to get to the heights you used to be or you want to get to a higher level too soon? SERENA WILLIAMS: Maybe too soon, you know, we want too much too soon. We expect the best from ourselves. You know, we don't expect anything less. But we always come out with a positive attitude. Q. Are you going to change that? Are you going to try to let it go normally? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. If anything, I feel that I should work even harder, maybe I should try to do different things. It's great, I have a lot of stuff I can look forward to. Q. The women's game this year seems to have suffered because of the injuries to you and to Venus, to the two Belgian girls. Now we've got Myskina winning in Paris, but not as sensationally as Sharapova did here. Now, when everybody is fit again, the women's game at the top, looks like it's going to thrive again, doesn't it? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it does. And I can't wait to see Kim and Justine back, and Venus and myself, a hundred percent. It's going to be great. Q. This win will launch Maria as a tennis superstar. As a tennis superstar, what advice do you have for her? SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm not a tennis superstar - I'm a superstar (laughter). I'm just kidding. I don't want to sound like I'm pontificating or anything. Although, I am a little bit (smiling). Q. Very gracious move by you at the end to go across to her side and give her an embrace. Was that just a spontaneous move or gesture? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, it's definitely something I didn't plan. I mean, it's great. You know, she was so excited. You know, I try not to be a bad loser, so... Q. With her all-around game, all the assets she has, now a Slam championship, what kind of a threat do you think she is to reach the very top and be a threat at each of the Slams? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think she's a big threat. I think, like I always say in all my interviews, I think everyone's a big threat. You just can't underestimate anyone. I think everyone is, yeah. Q. But specifically her with this added confidence, do you think she's now at the very top group? SERENA WILLIAMS: For sure, definitely. You can't say she's not. I mean, anyone that wins a Grand Slam, you've got to put them at the top. Q. She has a habit of kind of making a fist pump, even after an error by you or an opponent. She'll kind of look over at the opponent. Is that something that everyone will just accept or do you think it will be something that will kind of grate on people? SERENA WILLIAMS: People are so picky and stuff. If that's what she does, let her do it. You know, it's like you can't pick on -- if you're grunting too loud. Let her grunt. I grunt loud. I pump my fist. It's so minute, you can't let it bother you. And that doesn't bother me at all. Q. What will you do tonight after all this fun interviewing is over? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I don't know. Q. How about tomorrow? Where do you head tomorrow? SERENA WILLIAMS: I'll probably be going to the tennis court, work on some stuff. Q. Where will that be? SERENA WILLIAMS: Won't be in England. Q. What will you be working on? SERENA WILLIAMS: My serve, my forehand. I don't know, a lot of stuff. Moving up to balls. Q. How far are you from being back to where you want to be? SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I'm at like 20% right now, so... I'm at 20%, I think. Q. What's the difference between a tennis superstar and a superstar? SERENA WILLIAMS: I was kind of just joking. I mean, I can't go anywhere in the world, especially in America. It's crazy. But I'm in Italy and I can't go places. I'm in England, you know, I can't walk on the streets. In America, I don't care what state I'm in, it's just like forget it. And I've tried lots of different looks and lots of different hair colors and everything. You know, it doesn't work. And I think, you know, I guess that's like, you know, Britney Spears type thing. Q. Is it more a plus or a minus? SERENA WILLIAMS: It has its pluses and minuses. I take it as a plus because it means I'm doing well in my career. That's how I always try to look at it, on a positive note. Q. You still have the Olympic trophy gold in the family. Does that motivate you to try to be in Athens? SERENA WILLIAMS: To try to? Q. Attend Olympic Games, be defending champions in a way. SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, I guess. I was planning on going. I look forward to it. Q. You say you're at 20%. Is it just kind of mentally getting the confidence back? A bunch of tournaments? You said you haven't played many tournaments. Can you just break that down for us? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think everyone can see it. There's a lot of stuff I want to do a little more physically. Obviously, I want to play a lot better than I did the last two matches. But I think before I played a little better. But still when I was playing Capriati and stuff, I still think there's a lot of things that I want to work on that I really know from my potential that I can do a lot better on. So that's what I kind of mean by that, I think. Playing-wise, I can just do so much better. But I think everyone here knows I can do so much better than what I did the past few matches. We can't deny that. Q. Talking with the Capriati match, the hype that preceded the match, did it take so much out of you? Was it like a high, you had to like step down after that match? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, it wasn't a high at all. I don't get high over wins like that any more. It's like I keep moving. Q. Did you speak to Venus? SERENA WILLIAMS: No. Q. Maria is only 17. Does she have the look to you of somebody who is durable, somebody who is going to be around for a number of years? SERENA WILLIAMS: Definitely. I like how she plays everyone really tough and not just a few players. When I see people that do that, then they definitely have a better look at being a champion. Q. When you go out tomorrow, what are the first two or three things you're going to work on? SERENA WILLIAMS: My serve, my return, my volleys and my forehand, my backhand. Q. Does she remind you of anyone, the way she hits the ball? SERENA WILLIAMS: No. Q. Considering the champion you are, having held all four Grand Slams at one point, coming back here a year later, now holding none of them, is there an element of disbelief in that for you? SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I've been gone for most of the Grand Slams. I mean, it's like, okay, I haven't played at a Grand Slam last since Wimbledon. I played my first at the French. Not at all. Q. Is there a sense of success here, that you're proud of getting to the final, and that in this situation, all things considered, this is a pretty solid achievement for you? SERENA WILLIAMS: I'll sit here and say that, yeah, it is a solid achievement for me because it's been, you know, a while. I don't know how many people can come back and do so well. But for me it's not good enough. Q. Is a Williams going to be the Wimbledon Champion again? SERENA WILLIAMS: Of course. I mean, we have lots of years left, and we both do so well here, so definitely. It's just a matter of time. Q. Sharapova said on the court she's sorry to take the trophy away from you for one year. Did that strike you in any way? SERENA WILLIAMS: No. You get so excited, you'll just say stuff like that. Honestly, she's not sorry because she wants to win. Who doesn't? I wouldn't be sorry. I wasn't sorry when I took it away from Venus because I wanted to win. Q. For one year, she said. SERENA WILLIAMS: For one year. Yeah, I like that part (smiling). Q. Is this the kind of killer instinct that you and the top players need to keep pushing forward? SERENA WILLIAMS: What do you mean? Q. Her killer instinct. Like you said, she fights for every point. She fights every player. Is that the kind of presence you as a top player needs to kind of keep pushing forward? You have such a great record against a lot of the other top players. SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think so. I don't like to lose to the same person too many times, although I seem to have lost to Capriati a lot. But other than that, you look at Venus and I, when we lose to someone, you know -- especially Venus, she lost to Justine once, and then, you know, she's just... Same with Kim. That's how we kind of are. We go home and try to ameliorate things. Q. Pete said more than his early Grand Slam titles, it was that loss to Edberg in '92 that really defined the rest of his career because he realized how much he really wanted to win and keep winning, didn't want to feel that again. As you sit here now, can you see where he's coming from, where he was coming from when he said that? SERENA WILLIAMS: I totally understand where he was coming from. I think he went on to win numerous Wimbledons after that. I definitely plan on following Pete Sampras' lead because he was someone I looked forward (sic) to. For me, like I said, it's something I don't enjoy. I can't sit here and lie about it. I don't enjoy to lose, so I do things so I don't have to. Q. After today's disappointment, I would have thought the last thing you would want to do is pick up a racquet 24 hours after the match. SERENA WILLIAMS: Actually, I think I need to go out right now, the way I performed. So if you'd let me go, I'm going to go to Court 13 and start practicing (laughter). End of FastScripts…. |
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