US OPEN

September 6, 2002

Serena Williams

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Serena, please.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I can't really say. Obviously I want to win more than anything. It's been three years since I won the US Open. I like winning here. I was able to win on grass and on the clay. I haven't done so well on hard court this summer, I haven't been able to play. So I really -- it's been my goal this year. After the Australian, I said last year I need to win the French, Wimbledon and the US Open. So it's all happening, so we'll see.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I did. I always tell myself this. But it's finally gonna happen.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'd say most definitely. It would be very hard to reach with Venus and Lindsay, everyone playing so well, it would be a little difficult to reach that goal. But I'd say it's definitely one of my goals.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, last week or a couple weeks ago Venus played Lindsay, she was down 3-5. I figured, "Well... It's now or never." I figured, "Well, if I get to the third set, either way I still think that I would still have as good a chance as she would." But I just didn't want to go that far. I just decided to give it my best. You know, I always used to be known for major comebacks. I tried to stop that.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think we're capable of having that rivalry. I think we're kind of building towards that rivalry. This is the third time - fourth time, in, what, five Grand Slams? So I think we're really trying to get it built.

SERENA WILLIAMS: She got beat bad...

SERENA WILLIAMS: I was -- think I was overconfident going into that match. I was like, "Oh, I'm playing well. Beat Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport." You know, I was just overconfident, not focused enough. This year's totally different. Venus is playing great. She's been playing great all summer. So I know that she might maybe have a little bit of an edge going into this match, so I'm not overconfident at all. I've been looking at it, the past two times I've played her, like that. We'll see what happens.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm sorry. You lost me (laughing).

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's definitely very remarkable. It's a feat that's never happened before. Growing up, I figured, "Hey, I want to be No. 1. I want to win Grand Slams." Venus obviously had the same goals. When you're young you don't really think about it on the scale that it's on because it's improbable really to think of it that way. I never thought of the attention we would get, the media. So I don't know.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, no, not at all. Not at all. Venus is definitely right there. A little bit ahead of me. I'm always trying to catch up with her and do the best that I can, so...

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, tennis is really all I have right now, so I'm really more focused. I don't necessarily put, like -- I think there's bigger -- I think with last year, with everything happening here in New York, I think people realized that you just can't -- you never know what tomorrow -- if tomorrow comes, you never know what happens. I've always been able to have my life that way. I figure that one should be very spiritually sound. I try to put God first in everything I do. My family, obviously, is something very important to me. And then my career. So I just try to have everything in perspective. Because as an athlete -- maybe if I was a businesswoman it would be different. But as an athlete, anything can happen. You never know.

So I just always try to look at it that way.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it was the way I was brought up, being brought up as a Jehovah's Witness, my mom and my dad always being very firm behind me. So I think so.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I can't say it has, no. Not at all.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. For sure. It's more than I can handle. I'm really enjoying it (laughing). I really am. I'm having a great time.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I've always been able to think, I think (smiling). When I was younger I never -- like I said earlier or in another press conference, I never really hit hard, just hit angles, always thought my way through because I was really small. I guess I got older, I got a little bigger and stronger. But I think, yeah, I think -- I don't think it was just over this year. I think over a period of time since I've been a professional, I think I've gotten a lot stronger mentally. At times I would crack. I'd get angry, throw my racquet down. Yeah, so I've gotten -- definitely gotten stronger mentally.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, especially -- I think this tournament's the first time I served well this year. I'm very happy with the way I served. Been working really hard on getting my toss different, just some technical things on my serve. I think I was able to mix it up well, go out side, go up the T. I tried to mix it up.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's not necessarily new. My dad. My dad, he does everything for me.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it is. I used to bring my foot up the way Pete does. But I kind of cut that out a little bit. I think my swing is a little -- like the way I get my shoulder turned, is a little bit like his. You have to have -- people that you admire when you're younger, you want to be like them or you want to serve like them or do whatever, so...

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, really?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't... I can't say I really even knew at the time. But obviously, I know who he is. I really, really do admire Hank Aaron. I didn't know he was here. I was watching a program about him a while back, and I've done a lot of -- I've read a lot of things about him. That's really cool.

SERENA WILLIAMS: That's what I keep telling myself, so I can have a goal.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I guess I won some key points at some key times. My serve was doing well in the final, I think. I didn't make as many errors. I just -- maybe was just my turn, who knows? I know at Wimbledon, though, Venus' arm was hurting a bit. She was having a little trouble there. So I don't know. I just... I think just the way you win any match normally, I was just able to make the right shots at the right times.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Who asked me that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, my dad's a really good player. I was hitting with him. He was returning my serve I think a couple days ago. He's really good. He used to beat us all the time when we were younger.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I kind of see everything. Used to be one of my problems, I just see everything that's going on. So I kind of notice that he's walking around. But when he gets down to the knitty-gritty matches, he stays in one place normally, or we're in trouble, he always stays in one place. You know, that's my dad. He gives us lots of pictures, so it's great.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, the police here did a very good job. They were out on the look for him. I know a couple people stayed up over 24 hours just, I mean, for me. I really -- you can see why New York has been applauding so many of their police officers and firefighters. They really do do a good job. I just really owe them all a lot of thanks. They were wonderful. The district attorney went out of her way. She was a very nice lady. She went out of her way to ask me and help me out and settle this case. Hopefully, it will all be settled now and in the future, but it started here. This is a big step because he's been doing this for a while. So this is definitely a big step. He came to New York. He came to the wrong state maybe (smiling). Maybe if he would have went somewhere else, it might have been different. But they did a wonderful, wonderful job.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Honestly, I don't remember Andre that much. I remember him as a player, but I remember more like Boris Becker and Pete Sampras and Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl. I don't know why he's not -- I've always liked Andre for sure, but I don't understand why.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it is in LA. No, not this year. But maybe. Maybe I'll go and do something a little special.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, my attitude's the same when I'm playing Venus because she's my opponent. I'm sure her attitude's the same because I'm her opponent. This is for all the marbles. This is for the championship, the points, a Grand Slam. So it's definitely something that we're just really fighting for. It's going to be a slugfest.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I guess... Nothing surprises me anymore these days. I'm pretty much jaded in every aspect (smiling). No, all right, I don't know. I guess I'm blessed to be able to block things out in my mind.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I never -- I don't really get involved too much with the press. I try not to get too involved. I just try and stay focused and things like that. So I don't really get involved.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, maybe. We do. We normally hit with each other.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you guys are crazy. Of course. I mean, we're -- until 8:30, we'll be friends. Then when the match is over, we'll be friends again.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't understand. What do you mean? How would I distance myself?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I would never be reluctant to go out and work hard and try to get better. But at this point, I think Venus and I are very even, are very close to each other.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's definitely something that's not serving as an impediment to my game, being around Venus. It's like I said, we're -- family's first, and that's what matters most. Because anything can happen. I don't want to get a bad rap with her and ten years down the road, I need help. That's not the way we do it. We realize that our love goes deeper than the tennis game.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I hear. I don't really hear the comments or anything, but I hear just noise, people just talking. I don't really hear it much. I'm just focusing on what I want to do when I get out there. If I'm sitting down there, I take a deep breath, I think about my serve, where I want to serve for four -- hopefully only four points. I go from there. That's what I think about.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I love New York. Venus said she likes Wimbledon. I said, "Well, you know, I like New York." But I hadn't won Wimbledon at the time (smiling). I can't really say. I love them all. It's a different experience when you're able to win, so it's a totally different experience. I won Paris and, you know, I love Paris, I love the clay. I won Wimbledon, you know, I love England, I love the grass.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't understand why...

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't see anything negative about it. I think Tiger Woods is -- I think he's obviously a great athlete.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, wow... Well, I don't know. You guys do the comparisons.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, that's a huge compliment for Venus and I. I don't really know what to say about that. We just were starting out as young kids playing tennis and practicing and practicing and promising to be the best and promising to at one point be at this stage in our lives. It's... it's shocking (with an accent).

SERENA WILLIAMS: (Laughing).

SERENA WILLIAMS: It hasn't been a smooth ride at all. There have been a lot of hiccups. I've had a couple of injuries, lots and lots of losses. It's never a smooth way to the top. There's always a rocky place that you can just put your foot on in order to get to the next area.