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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2017

Serena Williams

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You said in Auckland how windy it was there, wasn't a great chance to assess how you were playing coming into Melbourne. Do you feel now that you're here, you have a better sense of how you're feeling under court?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I felt great going into my last event. Hopefully I can improve on that. Well, I can't get worse, so that's also very exciting. Hopefully I'll be able to improve on that.

Q. Does it feel good to be back?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. Or you're so occupied on what you were doing?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I've been spending so much time on the court, so... But it feels really good to be back, just hitting on Rod Laver, hitting on all the stadiums, it's a good feeling.

I love it here. It's such a great tournament for me, so... Feels really good.

Q. In general, is there something in your game, because of the time off, you feel you really need to improve quite a bit to be back to where you were?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I always go in every off-season trying to improve pretty much everything all around. There's things that I definitely focus on more than others. But for the most part... I don't really talk about those things. For the most part I go off, try to do better in a lot of things.

Q. This winter when you sat down with the team, did you talk about a different approach for this season? What was the mindset coming into 2017?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I definitely wanted to work on some things, like I just said. Every season I always sit down with Patrick, I have a conversation on what I want to improve on. We work towards that.

Q. How do you view last season? We never really had a chance to get your opinion. Obviously Wimbledon I think is the highlight.
SERENA WILLIAMS: For me, it wasn't a great season. I think for other people it would have been wonderful. For me, it wasn't.

It was what it was. I'm still hitting.

Q. Health permitting, how much do you want to play this year?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I definitely don't want to play a lot, but I don't think I've played a ton throughout the past. I've played a lot. I've always been super consistent the past five, six years. I definitely want to play probably around... Maybe not as many events.

If I can keep my consistency, that's all.

Q. The reason I ask is last year you weren't able to play that much, partly because of injury.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. You mentioned it wasn't a great year by your standards. Is there a certain amount you feel you do need to play in order to still find your best?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I think actually last year's schedule would be perfect for me. But I was injured a lot last year, especially after Wimbledon. My year basically ended after that, so... If I could have played the tournaments that I would have played, I think that would have an ideal, perfect schedule for me.

Q. When you talk about last year and how injuries kind of interrupted it at different segments, with the time off, do you think you were able to kind of let your body heal up in terms of the things that were bothering you last year, or was it still a little bit of an issue during the off-season or pre-season training?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I got a lot better. I had a little bit of a problem initially in the pre-season. Just did a ton of therapy, exercises. I was able to get a lot better.

I felt that if I hadn't of taken that time off, could have been bad for me.

Q. Have you seen the forecast for Tuesday, the warm weather, how that will affect things?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I haven't seen it. Is it supposed to be hot?

Q. 38.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uh. Okay, better be ready.

Q. You're playing Belinda, someone that has beaten you before. Thoughts about playing against someone as good as her right out of the gate?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it will be good for us both. I don't know if she played here last year. Was it last year? She was quarterfinals, I think. I'm getting my years mixed up. Anyway, she's done well here before.

So, yeah, she's had a good win over me. It's never easy for me. So I always go out there, and all I can do is do my best. I didn't come here to lose in the first round, or the second round, or at all. If I can play the way I've been practicing, it will be fine.

I know she's been playing well, so it will be good for both of us.

Q. In the six months that Roger was unable to play the sport because of injury, he spoke about a glimpse of life without tennis, but he still kept in touch with it, he still has the passion for it, it helps to motivate him for this year. Do you keep across the sport when you're unable to play? Does that give you extra motivation, refresh you?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't really keep up with it as much. I feel like when I take a break, I just need to really take a complete break, both physically and mentally. I definitely kind of take a step back.

But tennis is a sport that I absolutely love, that I definitely see myself -- it's my life, you know, for the rest of my life, whether I'm playing or whether I'm not playing. It's definitely something that has made an incredible impact in my life.

Q. A few weeks ago you posted some personal, exciting news. Can you tell us a little bit about that.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, can you elaborate (smiling)?

Q. You said you were engaged.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh.

Q. That, remember?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm just kidding (smiling).

Yeah, it's been really great. I've said from the beginning, I just didn't want to think about it until after Australia because I was, like, Grand Slams mean a lot to me. I was, like, Well, I'm not going to think about it.

It's almost a little unreal right now because I haven't taken it in. I'm being rather selfish and focused on my career.

Q. You made it sound like it was a very romantic moment.
SERENA WILLIAMS: It was. It was. I'm actually just a really good writer, so... If you guys want any tips, I'm around (laughter).

Q. Does it feel different?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Again, not really because I don't think I've had an opportunity to, like, let everything sink in. I won't allow it to sink in because I'm so focused. It was right in the middle of pre-season. I'm really focused training, cardio, all kinds of stuff.

Now I'm on the road, already back at work. I don't want to get too happy because I want to stay focused (smiling).

Q. The record, moving past Steffi, been around for a while. These days does it mean anything to you? What are your thoughts on that opportunity?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I'm not talking about that. I'm just here to play and to win obviously, but just to play.

Q. I know you said you don't want to get too happy. Do you feel like you need a certain amount of anger or something, a drive or focus, to switch on to full gear?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I wouldn't call it anger, but I would definitely say drive and focus. What's the word? Sacrifice? Yeah, sacrifices that you definitely have to have, so...

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