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WIMBLEDON

July 7, 2016

Serena Williams

London, England

S. WILLIAMS/E. Vesnina
6‑2, 6‑0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. 96% first serves won. How important is the serve for you and how dominant do you feel when you serve that well?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Serve is very important for me I think, in general. I feel really dominant when I do serve like that. I feel really confident. Yeah, I feel really good.

Q. A big part of your job description is getting through these nerve‑wracking situations that come up. When you don't always get them a few rounds in a row, I wonder how you are prepared if this sort of thing should happen in the finals? Are you able to train your mind during the practice sessions? Is that part of what you do?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I've been training my mind for years and years, and I've been preparing for these moments for decades. I feel like it's been experience and it's been success, it's been failure, it's been everything that created the opportunity for me to be able to be ready in those situations.

Q. Can I touch on the subject of equal prize money. Your match today was very quick compared to, say, the five‑setters yesterday of the men. There's some talk on social media again about equal prize money. Do the women deserve equal prize money. I wonder what your thoughts were.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think we deserve equal prize money. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, if you happen to write a short article, you think you don't deserve equal pay as your beautiful colleague behind you?

Q. For many people, to get to three major finals in a row in the same year is an incredible accomplishment. How do you look upon what you've done this year and the groove in which you're playing right now?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it's great. I mean, I think for anyone else in this whole planet, it would be a wonderful accomplishment.
For me, it's about obviously holding the trophy and winning, which would make it a better accomplishment for me.
For me, it's not enough. But I think that's what makes me different. That's what makes me Serena.

Q. How would you describe the groove of your game right now?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, right now I feel like it's pretty good. I feel good. I felt great in other tournaments, as well. But I feel a little different. I just feel more relaxed and more at peace than I may have been in the past.

Q. I work for BBC Africa. You're such an icon there. Are you surprised that there are not any African female players on the world tour?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes. I've been to Africa several times. I've played there. I've done clinics there. Yeah, I am a little surprised. There was so much talent that I saw there. The players were really, really good.
Yeah, so maybe hopefully one day there will be. There has to be, one day, a player from Africa that can do really well.

Q. What can be done to encourage young African girls to play tennis?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's just opportunity. Tennis is a very expensive sport. Me continuing to go out there and doing the best I can to support and to grow different athletes.

Q. All these younger players out there trying to beat you, catch up to you, you keep pounding them. What keeps you going and what keeps you so strong as you get older to still dominate these younger people? What are some of the keys on and off the court?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, I feel like I just have this desire to be the best that I can be. I know that for me is just the best.
I feel like if I can do that, then that keeps me going. I love what I do. I work hard at what I do. I'm extremely passionate. I think that's just kind of something that keeps me going.

Q. There will be talk about you going down as one of the greatest female athletes of all time. What do you think when you hear someone talk like that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I prefer the word 'one of the greatest athletes of all time'.

Q. You have such a great relationship with your sister, supportive of one another, but great rivals. How significant do you feel that relationship has been to both of you in having such success over such a long time? Do you think the pair of you playing together has helped you both in that way?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I wouldn't have my success if it wasn't for my sister, absolutely not. I believe that everything that I have is because of the motivation she gives me, even today.
In the past months, training next to her is just motivating because this is my competition, and I have to be out there, too. It's visually seeing that which makes me realize that I have to work really hard.
It's great to have her and to have had her.

Q. On the subject of Venus, regardless of the outcome of her match today, how would you describe what she's shown with her performance here and her resilience?
SERENA WILLIAMS: She's shown she's a wonderful champion. She's resilient. She's an incredible fighter. You know, she's just a great person.
I think that has spoken throughout her career, being a champion. It will continue to speak for her no matter what happens, winning the tournament, not, whatever.

Q. Earlier you said you're more at peace now. May I ask what's making you more at peace or why you're more at peace now?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you know, just sometimes when you are fighting, sometimes you want something so bad, it can hinder you a little bit. Now I'm just a little bit more calm.

Q. Does that mean it's your competitive edge?
SERENA WILLIAMS: My competitive edge?

Q. Does that imply you've achieved so much that maybe the hunger is dimming a little bit?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I have no hunger anymore. Yeah, right (smiling).

Q. Explain it then, please. What does it mean?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It just means that I'm more calm. That's all it means. It just means that I'm more confident, more calm. Doesn't mean that I have less competitive at all.
I think confidence brews peace and calm in champions. I think that's how I feel.

Q. Vesnina was in here earlier and she used the word 'mood' a lot. How were you actually feeling when you walked on court and throughout the match?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I felt good. I felt like I was there no matter what happened. I really just felt like I knew that I was going to be okay with the outcome. I obviously felt like I had a chance to make it to the final. I think I was just really calm going into it.

Q. Sometimes in life, accomplishments come easy, they come early. Other times in life, you just got to struggle, it takes forever. For you what would it mean to reach the 22 mark and to equal Steffi?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. My goal has never been 22. I don't talk about that anymore.

Q. I was wondering what words of support you had for Marion Bartoli and whether you thought it was brave of her to come out with the details that she's struggling for her life?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it was great. I was really proud to hear she did say something. She took it upon herself to acknowledge what she's been fighting through.
I really admire anyone that is courageous like that.

Q. While you would hope to play Venus, right now with Kerber winning the first set, being ahead, you played her in the final in Australia, could you describe the final and what happened there?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I made a lot of errors. She made little to no unforced errors. It was still a three‑set match. I felt like I could have played better.
I felt like she played great. She came out swinging, ready to win. She was fearless. That's something I learned. When I go into a final, I, too, need to be fearless like she was.
It was inspiring afterwards to realize there's a lot of things that I need to improve on.

Q. Angelique said after the final in Melbourne that you were very supportive to her during the ceremony, like you were looking after a little sister. How would it be if you met on Saturday here?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It would be a good match, I think. Whether I win or lose, I'm always supportive of our champions. So I think once I'm on the court, I'm really intense and I give everything I can. When the moment's over, I try to be as positive as I can at that moment.

Q. You posted a short video clip of yourself with the duchesses. I think you said you were in the 'in crowd'. Was it good to meet with them?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It was really nice to meet with them. I actually didn't know they were both here. It was really cool. We just had a chat about the matches.
Yeah, again, I was surprised. It was a good thing that I did not see that they were there. Maybe I would have gotten a little nervous.
But, yeah, it was really cool.

Q. 48 minutes to win that semifinal and reach the big one. Fastest ever in Wimbledon history. Did you ever believe it could be so emphatic?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, absolutely not. It wasn't anything that was super easy. I was very intense the whole time. I ran and I worked hard. I served well, I moved well.
The scoreline just reflected me doing what I know I can do.

Q. You talk about the influence of your sister. Do you remember where you were and the first time you ever beat her in a tennis match, what it was like?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it wasn't until I was professional, so... Must have been sometime, like, in 2000, I think. I don't remember.
Someone asked me that before and I didn't remember. I was going to think about it. I believe I forgot to think about it.

Q. It wasn't when you were a kid?
SERENA WILLIAMS: She has a better memory than I do. I have to ask.
But I don't think I ever beat her when I was young, until we turned pro.

Q. Today's win ensures that you'll have the No.1 ranking for another few weeks. You're at your longest streak ever. Is that significant to you at all? Do you think you'll ever give it back?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It is significant to me. I really wanted to keep it. That makes me happy.

Q. And giving it back?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, no one wants to give it up when they have it. Obviously I have a lot of tough competition. But at the same time, I am going to have to work really hard, you know, be really determined, especially with this summer coming up, to kind of hold on to it.

Q. Given how long the road has been for Venus to get to this stage at Wimbledon, how would it feel to be the person standing in the way of her actually winning the title?
SERENA WILLIAMS: That's a great question. It would feel odd because I'm always constantly rooting for her no matter what.
But, at the same time, I just have to really focus on the ball, you know, not anything else.

Q. If you face Angelique, how significant is it that she was the one that beat you in Australia, or are you looking at it as just another opponent?
SERENA WILLIAMS: A little bit of both. Obviously it's significant that she beat me in Australia because that's the last time we did play. And also just as an opponent, she's great. She does things well. She moves excellent. She's fun to play.
I think either way, I'll be motivated on both sides.

Q. If Venus is able to come back in her match and you do face her, you just described having to look at it playing the points, not look at so much who your opponent is. But what has it been like when you have played her all the many times that are really so long ago? This is almost revisiting the history between you. It just hasn't happened in quite a long time.
SERENA WILLIAMS: That's very true, it hasn't happened in forever. It would be something that's, I think, really, really awesome. You know, it's kind of like going down memory lane. It would almost be a little bit surreal, so...

Q. How did you cope in the past with it?
SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, it's always been very difficult. It's been very, very difficult for me, especially being the younger sister.
She's always kind of protected me my whole life, always looked out for me both on and off the court.
I just had to learn, literally, I don't look at her. Literally. I only look at the ball. When we switch sides, I just look down. I just do not see her until the match is over.

Q. Talk about your doubles play with Venus. In some way when you come together, are you greater than the two parts? And what about the Rio doubles? Getting a gold there, would that be particularly wonderful with Venus?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, when we play doubles, we have fun. We go out there. We try to win all our matches, the few that we play.
We got to a late start this year, you know, trying to get out there and play some of these matches. But it worked out. It's been really fun to play with her.
Obviously winning in Rio, I would love that so much more than probably winning the singles gold at this point because it would just be really awesome.

Q. You answered questions about five sets and equal prize money all your career. Before you retire, what do you want to see happen in terms of the perception of women's tennis?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I would like to see people, the public, the press, other athletes in general, just realize and respect women for who they are and what we are and what we do.
Like I say, you know, I've been working at this since I was three years old. Actually maybe younger, because I have a picture where I'm in a stroller. I think Venus is actually pushing me, and we're on the tennis court.
Basically my whole life I've been doing this. I haven't had a life. I don't think I would deserve to be paid less because of my sex, or anyone else for that matter in any job.

Q. The objectification of women, the baby doll dresses, making it more sellable and marketable, is that something you would like to see addressed?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know how to answer that. I don't think that wearing a dress or wearing shorts would be different. If you asked me what I would choose to wear, I would choose a dress any day over shorts. I don't think it makes a difference in whether it's sexing them up.
If wearing a dress is being sexier than wearing shorts, maybe it is. I don't think it has anything to do with the subject of equal prize money.

Q. You talk about how difficult it is facing your sister. How difficult must it be for your mother to watch you two play each other?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's definitely difficult for her, too. I don't think she comes anymore to those matches. She used to, but not anymore.

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