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WIMBLEDONJuly 5, 2003Serena WilliamsWIMBLEDON, ENGLAND MODERATOR: Serena Williams for you. Q. Was that a tough match in more ways than one? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was. First way, Venus played really well in the first set and her ground strokes were just really kicking. She was really putting me on the defense. Q. It seems to me that you didn't play your best tennis today, especially at the beginning of the match. Is there any reason for that? SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I think it kind of was like the way I started out slow. I think I just maybe started out a bit slow. I was making a few too many errors. But at the same time, she was just running me back and forth and blasting winners when she saw an opportunity. Q. Were you worried about injury? Talking about your slow start, was it going in your mind about her situation? Was it bothering you? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not -- I don't think that caused any reason for my slow start. Q. John McEnroe and Tracy Austin were commentating on TV and were saying there was inexplicable things going on in the first set. Were you holding back at all because it was your sister out there, she's injured and you're playing her in the final? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I was just telling myself, if anything, "This is Wimbledon." God knows if I would get this opportunity again. So I just kept telling myself that. I think if anything, I fought harder. Q. Were you slightly off focus maybe in that first set? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, Venus -- if you were out there, Venus played really well. There's no way -- I came back, but, still, she just played really, really well. Q. Can you talk about what it was like when Venus took the medical time-out, and how hard was it for you to separate that that's your sister, who's in obvious distress, and yet keep your focus, because obviously you still had a set to play? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, uhm... I can't say it was that difficult. It was -- it was obviously -- it wasn't that difficult. I just kept thinking about, "This is Wimbledon." And, honestly, who knows when I'll have this opportunity again. That's what kept me motivated. Q. What impressed you the most about the way Venus played in the first set with the way her physical condition was? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, mostly her serve. Not only that, her running. She just ran down every ball. That's why I made errors, because she was just getting so many balls back. I didn't stay calm when I needed to. She's just playing really well. Q. Was it unexpected, because of the injury, that she would be able to do what she did? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, because I saw her playing Kim the other day and she was running well and her ground strokes were extremely on point, were really on point. I knew that her ground strokes would be on point today. Q. How tough is your sister? SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, she's tougher than I ever thought she was. I knew she was tough, but she's definitely on a different level. Q. Did she show you something today? SERENA WILLIAMS: She really showed me something in her semifinal. She was off the court, she lost the first set. In that rain delay, I just didn't really believe she would go on. But to go on in the manner she did and to continue to play today knowing she was injured, she's definitely up there with a real fighter and true champion. Q. Playing someone who's injured is also difficult, even without the family thing. Kim Clijsters had a hard time the other day. How tough did you have to be today? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't have problems playing someone who's injured. I just keep playing. Q. She made a point the other day and through your careers you've always made a point that your parents taught you, if you're injured, don't play. Better to play it safe. Were you surprised she stuck with this tournament, or is Wimbledon so special it didn't surprise you? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, after she got through to the final, I think she felt that everyone needed the opportunity to play the match. And, no, I wasn't really surprised, no. Q. Did you play your points differently today knowing that your opponent had an injury, to try and exploit that? SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm... (Shrugging her shoulders. ) No, I just -- when she came to the net, I did try and set up a passing shot. I know a couple times I hit the lob. But like I said, you know, I was really fighting. She was as well. Q. Was there a period between your warm-up this morning and 2 o'clock when you thought, "This match may not happen because of her condition"? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. She just -- she never told me anything. She didn't talk to me about her injury at all. I didn't think it was going to be cancelled. I just thought I was gonna play a match and I prepared. Q. Did your father watch the match? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I'll have to call and ask. Q. You said she obviously was playing the best up to these finals. Do you think the results would have been different if she was 100 percent? Would you have had to raise your level to cope with that? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I think the way I played today and the way Venus was playing, I think definitely she would have been the Wimbledon champ this year. Because, I mean, everyone can see throughout the championships she's serving well, running well, her ground strokes were very solid. I would have, of course, picked up the level of my game, as I would have to. But I don't know, I can't say whether -- I don't know. Q. Is that why your celebrations at the end were so muted? Because you didn't leap up and down and celebrate. It was almost as if you'd won a second-round match. SERENA WILLIAMS: I was a little tired. That was the longest match I played this week, this fortnight. Q. Outside of Venus' injuries, you lose in Paris, your streak is snapped. Now you come here, defend your title. You have to be pretty satisfied about it? SERENA WILLIAMS: I should have won the French (smiling). Yeah, definitely I'm satisfied. This is a great chance for me to show how I can play, and I love playing here at Wimbledon. And I love, you know, being a champion again. It's -- and I love walking off the court and seeing my name up there again. Q. A question, do you think President Bush will be sending you a congratulation telegram like they did in America? SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, well, I'm not sure. I think his family is a big tennis... Q. They are tennis fans. SERENA WILLIAMS: They are tennis fans, so I'll have to wait and see. Q. How do you feel about what you accomplished just today, given the condition of your sister? How will you look back on today's match? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I'm gonna look back, look at some of the things that I should have done better. You know, I'm gonna actually go home and keep working hard, because there's no time to rest. So that's how I'll look back on it, I think. Q. You spoke before of being satisfied, but you don't sound especially satisfied with today. SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm... Can you elaborate? Q. Yeah. A moment ago you said you're very satisfied, after the French, to come back here and win. What about today's match specifically? SERENA WILLIAMS: It could have swung either way, I think, especially in the beginning. If I had just given up and not fought as hard, I think she would have had an early lead in the second as well. She had a couple chances to break in the second to go up an early lead. But, you know, you got to look -- I have to look at the big picture. 20 years from now, I don't want to look back and say, "You know what, I really should have fought harder," and I wouldn't have to do that. Q. What was going through your head after you guys came back to the net and sat down next to each other while they were waiting for the trophies to come out? SERENA WILLIAMS: I was just thinking how -- what class and what spirit and what fight and what championships -- champion quality, I should say, Venus showed today and throughout the tournament. Q. You were thinking of her? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. Q. How do you think she's feeling now, you know her pretty well. Do you think she's pleased with her stick-to-it-tiveness? SERENA WILLIAMS: Our whole family is pretty pleased, so we're all happy. We're all just glad to make it another day. Things could be worse. Q. Did you ever think at the injury time-out that she was going to default at any stage? SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I never even thought about that. I was just thinking about how I wanted to -- I think I was gonna serve at that point. I wanted to make sure I held. Q. But as the period -- as minutes ticked by, did it not enter your mind at some point? SERENA WILLIAMS: Actually, I thought she'd come back tougher because I knew she probably was gonna get a retape and probably relieve some pressure on her injury. And I figured that she'd come back stronger because it's being relieved again. So I figured I need to hold strong in that game. Q. Given your run of Grand Slam wins, how do you keep your hunger for winning as you move forward? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, people are playing a lot of tournaments where they're kind of catching up with my ranking, and so that keeps me very hungry. Q. How much have you looked at the record books of total Slam titles? Do you know today that with your sixth, you pass Hingis? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, so... No. I mean, now I know, yeah (laughter). I hope. Q. With every Grand Slam title you win, you keep going up and up and up and up and closer to some of the greatest of all time. How does that make you feel? SERENA WILLIAMS: I'd never thought about that. I've always wanted to play tennis to leave a mark and I think I'll be able to leave a mark with what I've done in my career already - and I'm only 21, yeah. So sometimes I forget how old I am. Got to think about it. But I still -- there's a lot of -- hopefully, there's a few Slams, several Slams, left in me. Q. You earned quite a lot of money today. What will you do with it? SERENA WILLIAMS: Probably writing a check out to the Internal Revenue Service. Q. Because of Venus' injury, was this the hardest of your meetings? Would it have been the first time you played each other, or the first final, or was today the toughest for you? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I had a tough time in Australia, actually. She played an unbelievable match. We were both mentally and emotionally really wrapped. We both really wanted to win. I'd have to say the Australian final this year. Q. Do you think Venus will ever beat you again? SERENA WILLIAMS: Definitely. You just can't count anyone out. I think you can see today that she played an unbelievable match. And I would think it would be wrong for me to sit here and say, "Oh, no, she'll never beat me again." I wouldn't say that about anyone, especially someone with her caliber and her fight and her spirit. Q. During the break, the rain delay of the Clijsters match, I think your mom and sisters were saying, "You don't have to go on if you don't want. It's just an injury. You were still a champion." You were down there. Were you telling her the same thing? She obviously decided to go on. Or were you saying, "Fight through it"? What was your advice? SERENA WILLIAMS: I told her I was really proud of her and she was a little upset at this point. I told her, you know, "Venus, I'm really proud of you. You're -- just to stay out there, you can see it's a tight set even with your injuries." I told her not to be discouraged. "If you're gonna go back out, just use your legs and keep fighting" because, really -- I just told her at that point -- that's a hard injury, I think, to play with. I told her just to -- that she was a real champion to even stay out there. And never, never be discouraged. Q. She said she usually retires in those circumstances? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. Q. Were you surprised to see her actually do it? What was she saying? SERENA WILLIAMS: I can't say I was surprised because Venus is -- I'm more of a person that, you know, if I'm not 100 percent, I don't like to play because I always like to be at 100 percent. I like to give my all. But Venus is more of a person that she's gonna keep fighting regardless of whatever percentage she's at. And I've totally lost point of what I was talking about. Q. I was wondering if you were surprised she decided to go out. SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I'm not really surprised, no. Q. Would she have beaten anybody else today? SERENA WILLIAMS: It's tough to say. I can't say -- I can't say that she would have lost. I really had to fight to win this match. I can't say that she would have lost. Q. Given Venus' -- she has a tough time with injuries. Do you expect her to keep fighting the way she has fought in her career, or do you see maybe, you know, her backing off? SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, you got to be kidding. I think Venus is on a mission to be the best. And I think she's, right now, especially as you can see in this tournament, she's playing with the best and she's playing the best. So Venus has been working really, really hard and she has a lot of things she's -- she's still young. She has a lot of years on her belt and she has a lot stuff she can do still. Q. Did she raise the bar for you? SERENA WILLIAMS: In what terms? Q. In terms of showing fortitude and courage under those circumstances? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely in terms of showing fortitude, for sure. Also just her game in general, from the first round, I knew if I were gonna compete against her, I had to raise the level of my game. And that's -- that was real encouraging as well. Q. Would you have played with that injury? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I don't know. I don't want to be in that situation, but I'd have to be in that situation to answer that. End of FastScripts…. |
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