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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 11, 2016

Serena Williams

Indian Wells, California

S. WILLIAMS/L. Siegemund

6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Probably as much as any other athlete, you have had so many triumphs and challenges, so many chapters. Venus lost tonight, but it was a wonderful night, also. Do you think in some way her coming back is to close a chapter on all that occurred, that it's time to move on?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. Definitely. I think it wasn't about winning. When I come here, even to this day it's not about winning. It's just about closing that chapter in my life and her life and our lives and try to move on with our heads up, as we always had our heads up. But just continue to do that.

Q. Do you think you are satisfied with the way you and Venus have navigated through all this? Do you think it could be an example to others?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I hope so. We always try to be an example, positive role model, and a positive example to our colleagues as well as people that are outside of tennis and everyone of all walks of life.

Q. Would you mind contrasting tonight's match with last year's first match here?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, it was a lot less stressful tonight. I was really kind of stressed out last year. It was a lot of emotions last year. This year it was a lot easier.

I mean, obviously there is still something there, but it's a lot easier to just deal with everything.

Q. It looked like tonight that you were more -- you were focused. It was really business for you rather than what last year was.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. Last year was definitely super emotional for me. I feel, you know, this year it was probably emotional for Venus. I know it was. This year was just focused on, you know, winning some points and winning some games.

Q. What was it like for you earlier when you were watching Venus' match? I assume you watched it.
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, actually I didn't. I don't do well. I watched a little bit the scores, but not so much her match.

Q. Too nervous?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. And I was playing right after. I thought I was playing after, but I didn't realize there was a match in between. So I was in focus mode and I was like, oh, there is a match in between.

Q. First match since Australia. How do you feel?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I feel good. I actually think that playing at MSG helped me. Yeah, that was really good. Now I feel great.

Q. What about mom and dad? What was the conversation with dad, how they fit in the picture? Dad was in the midst of what happened 14, 15 years ago.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I talked to dad when I first came back last year. I wouldn't be sitting here -- I would have never come last year if my mom and my dad didn't agree or support it.

Q. How do you feel about -- I thought this year you played at a high level, maybe last year not as high but you were able to get out a lot of wins. Is that an assessment that you would have? How would you compare your play this year compared to last year, just level of play?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I thought I was playing better, to be honest, than I was last year, but we'll see as the year goes on.

Q. Talk about playing in The Garden, New York, the whole experience.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, talk about it? I don't know. It's a great experience. I have talked about it a lot. I have been playing there a couple of times. The first time was really memorable. It doesn't really change each time, because each time you go out there it's pretty cool to be there and to be playing at MSG.

People are there to you and your opponent, and it's like a wonderful, wonderful feeling.

Q. You, along with I think seven other players, are tied for the winningest player here, titles. Would it mean something for you to be the winningest player here with a third title?
SERENA WILLIAMS: That would be cool. I have only like played it four times, five times. I don't know.

Q. Sounds like a quite an accomplishment if you did.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. You released your schedule recently. It didn't have Cincinnati on it and a couple other changes. Wondering how much thought you have put into this season being an Olympic year, all the different management that will go out even at this point.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's tough. It's a hard decision because I won Cincinnati two years in a row. We will see how it goes. Maybe I'll have to accept a wildcard, but I think it's Montreal, Olympics, Cincinnati, you know, you will -- Pilot Pen.

Q. New Haven?
SERENA WILLIAMS: New Haven and US Open. So to go from Montreal -- or I could do Rio, Cincinnati. That's -- I would rather do the week before and then Rio and have a couple of weeks off before the Open and prepare for that.

Q. Patrick was saying you could play less as you got older, that the WTA rules or just there were ways to have that set up to have that happen. Is this something you're conscious of as you get older?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely am playing less and I definitely can play less if I opt to. It's tricky, though. I do like being No. 1. I do like that.

But if I want that, I kind of have to play a lot of tournaments. I have to balance. Do you want to be No. 1? Do you want to win Grand Slams? Do you want both? You have to take all that into account.

Q. What does it mean to you to have that three straight years for No. 1 uninterrupted?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's great. I like being No. 1. I like it. I don't shy away from the responsibilities and the expectations, so I enjoy being here.

Q. You have had so many markers again in your career. In terms of learning from experiences, was it your health situation? Was it let's say the first-round loss at the French or some of your experiences in New York? What have been some of the experiences you have really learned from?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I learn from every experience. Yeah, every single experience. I think you'll keep experiencing those experiences until you learn from them.

That situation was a little different. But, I mean, that was just -- I just got really lucky.

Q. Last year there was quite a bit of stress, obviously a lot of success, but the buildup. Does this season feel a little bit more normal?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I don't know.

Q. Where do you see yourself two to three years from now? Where is the vision? Where is your thought, Serena, three years from now?
SERENA WILLIAMS: That's a great question. I don't know where I'm going to be a week from now. Hopefully I will be here, but that just goes to show you I don't really think that far in advance.

I live in the moment, and, you know, that's it. That's all I can do. If you had asked me that three years ago, I would definitely have said I don't see myself playing Indian Wells or playing tennis. But with that, I just can't answer that at all.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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