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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2017

Serena Williams

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

S. WILLIAMS/N. Gibbs

6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. After a couple opponents you knew pretty well. How did it feel to get out there and have an opponent maybe you didn't know as much? Did you feel your way through that one?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It was good. Usually I was so pumped up going against my first two opponents, but I think that helped me out today. She started out really, really well. Started with a lot of energy, and then I felt like at the same time I was -- I really needed that. She really had a strong start.

Q. What's your take on your first week, just on court? I have to assume you're pretty pleased how you were able to handle everything?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I feel like I have been able to do pretty good. I have been doing the things I have been doing in practice, and hopefully I can build up on this.

That's all I want to do.

Q. Your serve technique has been talked about as being one of the best out there. Is that what you were taught early on, or how much does that require maintenance, making sure you're not developing bad habits on it?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think maintenance is good. I'm not a person who goes out and serves a thousand balls a week. Sometimes I go days and I don't serve at all.

I think it's really just natural. I don't do a lot of work specifically on my serve. I do work on my serve, but I don't work on it as much as one would think, because I just think, for me, it's just a really natural stroke.

Q. Were those natural fundamentals that you know you do well? You can break down your own shot?
SERENA WILLIAMS: You mean in the serve? I don't know. For me, I don't think about it. When I start to think about it, okay, I'm missing, my toss here, shoulders here. I serve my best when I just toss the ball up and serve and see what happens.

Q. Training, I don't know if you ever liked it, but is training still something, if you ever did like it, that you like? Or is it just a necessary evil part of the job at this point in time?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know if anyone really loves training. Maybe people do, but there's something about it that makes you feel satisfied and prepared.

So I feel like when I'm not training, I don't feel good about myself or about my game or ready to enter into an event.

It's strange. It's not that I love it, but at the same time, I don't hate it. I need it. I really need the training.

Q. You have played mixed at Hopman and before, couple slams. You have male hitting partners now. What are the biggest differences how men and women serve?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, obviously I think men tend to serve bigger. I think women have -- they really utilize the body serve. I feel like it's really -- we get a lot of great use out of that and men tend to go for the lines a little bit more, yeah.

Q. Is one of the reasons you study men's tournaments and matches so much because your serve is a point of separation and it is in the men's game, too?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I try to study from the top to the bottom, from the serve to everything.

I don't know. I just feel like -- I don't know. It's always been a really strong shot of mine, but I never even really thought about it. It's just, really, second nature to me.

Q. The interview on the court, she had the information a little bit backwards. She was trying to ask you about the fact that you and Venus had started your rivalry here for the first time 19 years ago. Do you have any memory of that? I think you probably have some funny ones.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I remember the draw came out, and I had to play her in the second round. I remember, I think, we had a tough first set, and then she really went through in the second. Then she went on, I think, to the quarterfinals. She had a really good tournament that year.

It was a great time. We really had so much fun playing. It was -- it's really exciting, looking back, and looking at those moments. You don't really get those moments back, but you can remember them so well. It's so fun.

Q. You have been so fortunate to meet many, many people in public life. Kind of a silly question, but we're asking if you could get a selfie photo with anyone outside your family, outside of tennis, outside of your loved ones, who would that be?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, can I choose you? (Laughter.) You owe me.

Q. What do you remember from that time back, whatever, the Karsten Braasch matches that you and Venus...
SERENA WILLIAMS: I forgot about that, actually. Gosh, I don't remember that at all. I remember that at all. Gosh, that was forever ago. I don't remember what year that was.

Q. Did that really happen? Did you play?
SERENA WILLIAMS: You have to ask Sandy.

Q. There's a story you played on Court 2 and you each played a set against him.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I have a terrible memory. I must tell you.

Q. You get Strycova next. How much do you know about her? She's gotten solid, top 20 recently. How much have you seen or heard?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I have seen her play a lot. She's always playing. Venus has played her a few times. I saw her play in Sydney. She's super fit. She has a good game. She's very aggressive, so that would be nice to play.

Again, I don't have anything to prove in this tournament here. Just, you know, doing the best I can.

Obviously I'm here for one reason. But at the end of the day, this is all bonus for me and I look forward to playing her. I'm ready for her.

Q. Jogging your memory about that Braasch match...
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't remember it.

Q. How do you think you would do against the No. 200 guy in today's world?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I'm pretty much focused on women's tennis right now. I have to focus on that.

Q. Patrick was saying he gives you, like, a USB drive with match clips or maybe your matches for you to study, I guess, in your off days or something like that. Do you actually do that? If so, are you sitting there actually clicking through and, you know, focused on it? Or is it running in the background and you tune in when you tune in?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, there are a lot of things that I do. I don't really talk about all of them all the time. But there may or may not be truth to that story.

Q. You're a woman who has fashion sense. I know you don't talk politics, but I don't know if you got to see any of the outfits from the inauguration.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I have missed everything so far. I will try to catch up online, though. I would see a little bit of it. I think I saw briefly Melania had on blue, right?

Q. At the inauguration, yeah.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I was getting ready for my match. I definitely want to check it out.

Q. You have been coming to Melbourne for such a long time. Were you shocked to hear what happened in the city yesterday?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's very shocking and extremely saddening and disheartening. Just so many sad things are happening around the world, and even to hit so close to home where I know literally it's down the street from the tournament, close to where a lot of players are staying.

You know, it's just an unfortunate event that you just have to really pray for everyone involved in that sad situation.

Q. Strycova used to be a figure skater. I remember seeing a video, I think, with you and Caroline figure skating, maybe Rockefeller?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm jealous of that. I didn't know that.

Q. You did some spins. I was impressed. Where did you pick up your skills on ice?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I can't do a triple Lutz, but I can maybe do a double.

I have no idea. I just close my eyes, and I just spin and I pray I don't fall. If I do, I get up.

I used to ice-skate when I was younger, but I was never a figure skater. Obviously I watched the winter Olympics, and the figure skating was the only thing I wanted to see.

Q. Did you have a favorite skater?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know any, actually.

Q. Some of the dominant players in history have had a certain edge before they walk out on the court, a certain intimidation factor. Nicole said she's been watching you her whole life and you're her hero. Do you think that's an edge for you? Is there an intimidation factor? When you started were you intimidated by a lot of other players?
SERENA WILLIAMS: There was definitely an opportunity going up against players I played, and I was in awe and very respectful.

I think today Nicole, the second she stepped on the court, she went all out, and I think she did a really great job. The same thing with me when I was growing up. I was, you know, in awe and had so much respect for these players. But when I stepped out there, I wanted to see what I can do, all my years of work and how it would stand up against the greatest.

Q. Do you know where you stand right now in terms of Fed Cup? In? Maybe in? Definitely out?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I need to talk to Kathy. I know we have been trying to catch up, but probably -- I haven't thought about it much.

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