AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 25, 2003

Serena Williams

MODERATOR: Questions for Serena.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think she just about had me. I just wanted to win so bad. I think just the serve, I think if she served really well in the first and the third, the way she did in the second, I wouldn't have a chance.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't think her serve let her down at all. I had great returns. I'm often able to handle the big serves. No one can consistently hit 198, at least on the women's tour. I think she did a mighty fine job. Yeah, I don't think there's anything she could complain about.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think going into a tiebreak like that, you have to really, really be really tough. I wouldn't say I'm more mentally tough than Venus. Most of my ideas and everything I actually get from her. Most of my fight and courage I've gotten from Venus. So I don't know if that's a true statement.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It definitely feels really special to even be mentioned among Maureen Connolly. I've always looked at her story. That's just super special. Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf. Help me here.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Margaret Court. Really only a handful of people that's been able to do it. I don't know. I guess it's a really special feeling.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know what, I didn't put any pressure on me. I just went out to play tennis, went out just to do the best that I could do. I didn't necessarily say, "I have to do this." I did often think about, "Okay, I'm only one set away from achieving the accomplishment," but I only thought about that once.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, because at that point -- well, I guess not in this match at all, because it was a really tough and very close match. But I think in the beginning of the tournament, I put a little pressure on myself. Once I was able to calm myself and relax, I realized it wasn't much after that.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, nothing. I just had a little slight massage, went to bed a bit early. Well, not early, 11-ish, maybe a little later. I don't know, I didn't do anything different.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think the atmosphere maybe made the courts a little faster. But it felt great because I'd rather be playing in that than the heat of 44 degrees.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't think so. I love to play indoors, so I was really feeling good about that. I don't think it really takes away at all. I think, if anything, it makes the crowd louder because it's enclosed. It makes things even more tense like going into it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: We never really played each other when we were younger. We played each other maybe once in the junior event. But I don't think we played each other too much. Sometimes when I accomplish things, when I win a Grand Slam, I think of how hard -- not how hard it was, but how hard I worked. People say, "Oh, you're so lucky to have this." But luck has nothing to do with it, because I spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Just, I don't know. I mean, sometimes I call if I'm feeling up to it. If not, no. So much to do after, all the press, all the pictures, everything. It's not like I really even have time to take a second out.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, we wanted to dedicate it to her because she was someone really special in our life. It was great getting to know her. I wish I could have known her a little better. But I know that I used to always call her and say, "Oh, watch." She never missed a match, or if we were on TV or anything. She never missed it. Yeah, we just wanted to dedicate it to her.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Ora Lee.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. She went to my mom's charity last year. Venus played there. I'm sure she has. I mean, when we were younger, she was always around. I don't know if it was really in person. I don't know.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I never kill myself with the tournaments. Last year I only played 13. I can't see myself playing any more this year. That's just all about taking care of your body. You can't go out there and break your back for someone else. Ten years from now, whether I want to or not, I think definitely there's going to be somebody else winning championships and tournaments. My whole theory is to take care of me, that way I won't have to worry about getting too tired, ending my career too early. I've always been a fan of a shorter season. But I don't play that many tournaments to begin with.

SERENA WILLIAMS: This one definitely was more demanding. Yeah, for sure, because I had tighter matches, closer matches. Yeah, it was a little bit more demanding.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I surprised myself definitely against Clijsters because it was just -- I -- I don't know. I never expected to go down. I didn't get that sinking feeling, so I kept fighting. But it was definitely a shock and a little bit of a surprise.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's just like normal with us. You know, if I win, I take the money. If she wins, she takes the money. It's not anything like that, like splitting-wise. We both worked really hard.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I guess you can say I am because I think in order to win four in a row, either way, you have to be pretty serious. They're back to back to back. It's definitely very tough. So I guess I would say that I am. I think anyone would want to say that they were if they won it four in a row, whether it was in one year or not.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Who knows. I'm just going to keep fighting, keep working hard and keep smiling.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm here to play women's tennis. I'm a lady. Predominantly most of the time I always like to play ladies.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, for sure. I plan on playing. It's always for a good cause. We're really excited about it.