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WIMBLEDON

June 28, 2016

Serena Williams

London, England

S. WILLIAMS/A. Sadikovic
6‑2, 6‑4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You should be pretty happy with that start. Served well, hit the ball pretty clean.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was a good start for me. I felt like it was a solid start to go in the right direction, so...
It was great.

Q. How tricky is it coming out in the first round and playing someone who doesn't play quite a traditional game? She was throwing a lot of weird stuff at you.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, she plays an old‑school grass court game. I knew that going in. So when you're prepared, it's always a lot easier than not knowing.
Once I knew that, I'm really ready. I was ready for it.

Q. It may have been my imagination, but it seemed as if your outfit was flowing up quite a lot. Was it hampering your play at all?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. It was really windy out there. I think it's only on the court because maybe it's like a bowl effect. Then down at the bottom, even though when you're out, it doesn't seem that windy, but on that court there's a ton of wind. So that was all.

Q. You're the only one with true insider information on this topic. You got the Serena Slam. Last year you chased a calendar slam. Could you give me your take on what you perceive the differences between the two are?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, it's different because I guess winning all four in a year is having all four, but it's also similar because at some point to have all four on your name is a good feeling.
It's essentially the same thing as having all four in the same year, but there obviously is a difference.

Q. If you had won it last year, you would say, Not that big of a deal because I've kind of done it before?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. I think it would have been a really big deal. I've never done it before in a year.
But it was a pretty big deal to win four in a row again for the second time. I think that was unexpected for me and really cool.

Q. The other day you spoke about Novak's chances to do that. When you watch him play, what do you appreciate most about the way he goes about his business and what he does on the court?
SERENA WILLIAMS: He just seems to really have everything intact. He knows how to handle himself better and better every match it seems in tough situations. And also in easier situations, he's still able to stay focused.

Q. On your dress, wondering when you're working with it on Nike, how much you working on an outfit, how much you have to balance performance with the fashion side of it?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think Nike has been really good about making things, designing with me to make things that look good, feel good, play good essentially. That's kind of our motto. Obviously we want it to work. This works really well, too.

Q. Have you had issues in the past when things were flying up too much? Does that ever bother you in matches?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm sure I have. Off the top of my head, I can't remember. I've played in so many things, I'm sure at one point I've had some issues with something.

Q. There was a great new documentary out about a year in the life of Serena. Really showed the inside aspects of your year on the tour. What did you like most about that documentary? Is there one thing that you'd change or prefer not to put in there?
SERENA WILLIAMS: What I liked most about it was really how open it was and how honest I was, how I approach the game, how I approach each match, how I prepare for each match, really how I am. I thought it was able to link all that together and just see how I'm able to, on a daily basis, do what I do for what I do as my job.

Q. The film showed just how difficult it is week in, week out to be a tennis pro, to go through the grind. Do you feel fresh and eager? Is there a joy in your game now? Do you feel a little career fatigue?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I would be lying if I said I feel fresh, but I don't feel fatigue. I don't think I feel fresh, but I feel real hungry, super motivated, extremely ready to do the best.

Q. There seems to be a notion out there that trying to get your 22nd major singles title to equal Graf's mark wears on you. I want to ask you how much you think about that. What do you think of the idea that some people think it's a difficult mental thing for you? How much do you think about that number 22?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think more or less about winning Australia, I think about winning the French Open. Didn't happen. I think about winning Wimbledon. I don't necessarily think about winning 22.
Mentally I've been further down than anyone can be. Well, maybe not anyone, but I've been pretty low. There's nothing that's not mentally too hard for me.

Q. On BBC commentary today, Lindsay Davenport said she thought she saw an unusual level of anxiety and stress about your performance today. Would you agree?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I mean, for a first round, no. I felt I was where I needed to be. I needed to be pumped for the match. I needed to be intense. I needed to show a lot and feel a lot on the court.
That's typically how I play. I needed to do that.

Q. During changeovers you used to look at notes. After so many changeovers over the course of your career, do you still try to do different things to keep yourself fresh?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, the only thing I've done was I had notes for a long time. I used to look at it so I wouldn't lose my focus. I could always remember little things that I wanted to do. That was that. So that was kind of the only thing I've done.

Q. Did you used to drink coffee?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I didn't drink coffee. I asked for coffee once (laughter). I was tired. I was jetlagged. I just needed a shot of espresso.

Q. Today the world No.1 golfer, Jason Day, pulled out of the Olympics over the Zika virus. Could you talk about your experiences playing the Olympics, what's important to you? And the athletes who have pulled out, what might they be missing out on?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think for me, the most important thing is knowledge and protection, to know going into what I'm doing. I know what I'm going into. I'm also going to be super protected and ready hopefully to the best that I can be, and probably beyond that.
I don't know if they're missing out. I mean, everyone's experience is different. My experience has been really amazing at the Olympics. I really loved going out there and competing, really just, you know, standing out there and being an Olympic athlete.
It is really one of the best experiences that I've ever had. It's difficult for someone that's in a sport like golf because their main goal, like tennis, is to win slams.
For me, I look at the Olympics as a bonus opportunity. It's not something I've dreamt of like other athletes of winning gold medals. It's probably one thing I have that I love the most.

Q. Seems like in the situation you're in, it always comes back to pressure. How do you experience and process this for you? Is it an irritant? Djokovic shrugs and says pressure is something we all deal with every day. Does it make you angry? Do you take it as something you have to deal with, something that means more to us than you?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Obviously it means a lot to me, probably means more to me than to anyone ‑ anyone. It's definitely something you just have to deal with. It's coming to a way that you deal with it. It's, How are you going to deal with it?
For me, it's dealing with it the best that I can.

Q. There was a pretty warm embrace at the end of the match between the two of you. What was the exchange? What happened at the end?
SERENA WILLIAMS: She said she was really happy for that match. I told her she did a great job. That was pretty much it.

Q. In terms of the Olympics, obviously it's an individual's decision. Do you think it would be a shame for people to miss out?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I do, I think it is sad. But at the same time I obviously understand where they're coming from and how they feel. Part of me feels that way, too, which is why I'm going in, you know, with a whole mindset of how do I protect myself, how do I prevent and also raise awareness for this. That's kind of how I'm looking at it.
Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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