TELECOM ITALIA MASTERS

May 15, 2003

Serena Williams

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Serena, please.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm feeling a little better about my game. Today I think I was able to do some things a little bit better - not what I would like - than what I did in the first match. Although, I think I did have a bit of a slow start in the beginning. But she played really well in the beginning, though, so I don't really blame it on the slow start.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, well, tomorrow I'm playing -- I think I'm going to have to make sure I get a lot of balls over the net, keep a lot of balls in play. Martinez does really well here. I think she may have won four times. I don't know, she brings out her best game here, it seems, in Rome. So I'm going to definitely be ready. I think she has a lot of confidence, so I need to go in there with a lot of confidence as well.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I went to a few different shops. I wasn't able to make it to many because I think I stayed in the shops for too long, so it was unfortunate. But it's okay because, I mean, the dollar is down to the Euro, so it gives me a really good excuse now to shop in New York.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, I am. I'm getting started with my own line of fashion design, and it's going really well. Actually, I'm wearing a new, exciting design of mine to -- I'm not really into sportswear yet, I'm more or less doing things off the court like things you'd find -- just you would wear on the streets, you would wear every day, not necessarily warm-ups and sportswear. Because my love is couture and pret-a-porter, and things of that nature, evening gowns. So I love to do these things. Yes, it is true and I'm really excited about it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I was able to meet her daughter. She was really, really sweet and very nice. She had a lot of interesting designs. It's good to see -- Laura Biagiotti I'm talking about. It's good to see different designers and different lines. Some shops, I went in to just to get the booklet - what is it - just to get the catalog to see what they're making for the season. That way, it can inspire me in some of my designs. I was able to get her catalog as well. It was fun and different and, I don't know. I never have a favorite designer because it's so many out there that I really enjoy.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, throughout the match. It's just something I've been working on for a number of years. So, yeah, it comes in every now and then but not too often.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, Venus is into more interior designing, but she also went to school for fashion as well. I think eventually she would want to join my efforts into doing more of a fashion line, fashion design, and maybe we'll just build a big fashion house with me doing the fashion line and she does the interior design. My mom, I don't know, she always offers really good ideas and she always wears fun clothes. I often, believe it or not, get some different ideas of materials to use. But I really enjoy it. I really enjoy making the clothes and putting them on. It doesn't always work out; it doesn't always look good. But you have to take a step back in order to go forward sometimes.