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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 9, 2018

Serena Williams

Wimbledon, London, England

S. WILLIAMS/E. Rodina

6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. 62 minutes out there. Did it feel like it went that quick? Were you satisfied with what you did out there?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It didn't feel quick because I feel like the score line, it looked easy, but it wasn't. It was a lot of good points. She's a really good player. It was good.

Q. What can you improve on? You're playing so good.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Thank you.

Well, there's a lot to improve on. This is only my fourth tournament back. I would hope there's a lot to continue to improve on. There is. I feel like I'm getting to where I want to be. For me, there's so much farther I want to go to get back where I was, and hopefully go beyond that.

Q. Are you getting closer to where you were before?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, absolutely. I'm getting there. Yeah, I don't think I'm there yet. I feel like it takes time to get there.

Q. The women's final coincides with Donald Trump's visit to Britain. If you are in the final, would it be a concern at all if he were to come in light of the boorish comments he's made about women in sport?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know what comments he's made about women in sport. But I feel like he has the right to do whatever he wants to do. If he wants to come to a Wimbledon final, he has that right.

I hope I'll be there. I don't know. I still have a lot of matches to win. For me, I can't even think that far. I'm just thinking one at a time.

Q. You're yet to drop a set. Is it feeling like you're more and more effortless with each match?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, actually. I don't know why, I definitely feel -- I have to go back and watch the film. Like I said, I'm always striving for perfection. There's a lot of things that I don't know if you can tell, but I really need to work on. Hopefully I can get there. So hopefully I'll start feeling better mentally as well as I am on the court.

Q. Is there a sense in yourself you would have rather faced a seed by now so you get a clearer idea where your game is at, where it needs to be to go on and win the title?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I faced a thousand and three seeds in my life, so I'm okay.

Q. If you had to rate between 1 and 10 where your game is at at the moment, knowing where you need to be to win one of these things, where would you say you are?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. Like I said, it's hard to say. I mean, I have a long way to go. I'm just only in the quarterfinals. It's not about wrapping up a win. It's not at all. I have a long way to go. It's like all the other women that are still in the draw.

Each of us, seeded or not, I'm not seeded, we're just here to do our best.

Q. Players have spoken before about the silence of Centre Court, how every sound is amplified. How aware are you of the fans supporting you? Do you hear specific voices? Have fans tried advising you on how to play?
SERENA WILLIAMS: There's definitely a sound and a whoosh and a smack, kind of like the comic books. It's definitely like that on this Centre Court in particular.

I have to say fans haven't advised me much at Wimbledon. Outside of Wimbledon, I get tons of advice. I do. I actually take it. They've been incredibly supportive here, which I love. I mean, I love playing here on Centre Court. It just warms my heart.

But, yeah, I think everyone here is so polite. They don't really necessarily tell me what to do (smiling).

Q. You tweeted about the football the other day, your three lines emojis. You said something to feel special. Obviously England won the other day. Do you think football is coming home to win the World Cup?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh. Well, it's not coming home to America (smiling).

It's interesting because when I'm here in London, Wimbledon, it's the atmosphere, seeing all the English just get so excited. You can't help but root for the team. Oh my God, what a game that was. Those goals were just incredible. They were playing so aggressive. Man, they really brought, like, a power game to that. I thought that was really cool.

Q. Is there any particular player that stands out for you? Got a favorite? Do you know any of them?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Not this time around. Just been enjoying it. I just love it. So fun to watch. World Cup is a special time of the year. I just get almost depressed. I'm like, Oh, only two more matches, then one more. What is going to happen to my life after that?

I don't know what I'm going to do for a couple of months. I'm going to be a little bit low. Hopefully I'll recover and just wait for the next World Cup.

Q. You're going to play Camila Giorgi next round. What do you remember of her? She said before that she doesn't follow tennis, women's tennis. I asked her, You know Serena Williams?
Yes, I know her, but I don't follow women's tennis.

Do you follow her?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I played her a couple times. She has a very powerful game. To be so small, you know, she brings so much power and energy on the court. She's very aggressive. She does well on grass.

I do follow women's tennis. Of course I support women's tennis. I support women's sports. I follow so much of it. I think it's super exciting. I watch her play a lot.

Yeah, so it's good to kind of know someone. A lot of the players I've played this tournament, I don't think I've played them before. I don't think so. But, yeah, it will be good. I kind of know her game. Look forward to it.

Q. For the players, the young players, starting to make their own names in the game, what do you want the name 'Serena Williams' to stand for?
SERENA WILLIAMS: For me, I just feel like I've won a lot, and that's cool. I feel like for me, it means more to stand up for everything I believe in, like, all the fighting I did for equal prize money, equal play time on courts, just believing in yourself, all the stuff I do off the court. I feel that's what I would love people to kind of relate to, especially younger players. Tennis is great, but for me it's about opening doors for the next generation.

It's like people did for me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for pioneers like Althea Gibson. It's so important to have those pioneers. I think that's the most important thing you can do in sport.

Q. What would you like them to draw from your tennis career?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, hopefully not too much while I'm still on tour. Afterwards, we can talk about it.

Q. You mentioned looking back at the tape. How much do you do that between matches? Is it something that Patrick has to convince you to do or you convince him?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I've always done that my whole career. I've always, since as long as I can remember, looked back. I kind of think it's fun to look at what you've done, how you can improve, or not. I like it, though.

Q. Do you wince when you see yourself sometimes? Is it always a good experience?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I wince sometimes. Yeah, but I think that's normal. Sometimes obviously I'm really excited to watch, so...

Q. On the equality issue, there have been a lot of women's matches on show courts earlier in the tournament. Today you had three main show courts, three women's matches, six men's. Is that an issue you'll try to address going forward, in particular this Monday?
SERENA WILLIAMS: So three?

Q. Main three show courts, three women's matches and six men's matches today.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Okay.

Yeah, I think Wimbledon has done, like I said earlier this week, a good job with bringing on more women, onto the show courts. I can't sit here and complain because I feel like they've really put more women, compared to what it used to be. They really put a lot more women on. It's just continuing to keep that push and let them know, you know, the women are great matches to see and to watch as well.

Q. Hope that changes in 2019 when they have the second roof?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. Just a little bit every time. Just creating that change, fighting for equality, just a little bit more and more. Nothing happens overnight unfortunately. It has been a lot of positive movement in the right direction. I'll continue to keep fighting for that.

Q. You tweeted the other day you missed Olympia's first steps. You got thousands of replies from a lot of parents who have missed big things. Do you read the people responding to you?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't usually read mentions. Stuff like that I do, or if I ask for advice I do. It was so positive. So many people, basically everyone in the mentions was like, Oh, so did I. It's no big deal. Or, I was at work, I was here.

I was just like, Wow, I didn't know that was a common thing. I felt really glad that I posted that. I instantly felt better from all the moms and dads that were posting that it's totally normal.

Then they were posting, Don't be too hard on yourself. They shared all their moments. I love that. I love that about the opportunity to get feedback.

Q. As a supporter and follower of women's tennis, what do you make of this tournament where none of the top 10 made the quarterfinals, only one made fourth round? Statistically nothing like it before.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, isn't Kerber technically in the top 10, she's just seeded 11?

Q. There you go.
SERENA WILLIAMS: On a technicality, we still have one player in the top 10 that's there.

Yeah, things happen. On both sides, men's and women's, there's been a tremendous amount of upsets. I don't think this has happened to this extreme. But also I've never been ranked where I am when this has happened before, so usually I'm one of those few seeds left that's still fighting and still in the tournament.

Now that I'm not, it kind of happened (smiling).

Q. Are the fishnets a fashion statement or some kind of special? Never seen compression like that. Also, can you tell us, has Olympia walked for you since?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, she has walked for me since, a lot. Now we just have so much fun.

Like I said earlier in the week, they're medicinal reasons.

Q. If Olympia wants to play tennis, will you coach her or asking Auntie Venus to coach her?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I would hope she doesn't play tennis. Yeah, I know.

Venus said she would coach her, she just didn't want to travel. She said that, like, yesterday or the day before. I'll coach her, but I don't want to travel.

I'm like, Okay, you're thinking way far in advance. Olympia is not playing tennis, unless of course she wants to. Then I'm going to help her. But I'm not sure if I'm a great coach. I could be a good mental coach. In terms of a tennis coach, I don't know if I -- clearly I don't know if I have patience.

Q. What sports would you like her to play?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know yet. I think it will be interesting to see what she gravitates to. I really don't know. Ice skating could be fun. She'll probably be really tall, so... Yeah, I don't know.

Q. Why wouldn't you want her to play tennis? What are your thoughts about the sacrifices your parents made? Maybe now that you're a parent, you see it differently.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I saw it differently years ago. I don't understand how they did it. I could not go out, as much as I love her, I don't think I could do it every single day what my dad did. I don't think I could do that.

Then what my mom did... I don't know. I actually would not be able to do that. So I'm so grateful to have my parents. I look back, and I want to do even better to just thank them because they were so selfless and, wow, just amazing. It's crazy.

Q. Why not tennis?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, uhm, I don't know. It's a lot of work. It's a lot. Plus, I mean, I don't want her to have pressure from what I did, you guys talking about, Are you going to be able to do as good as your mom? I don't want her to have that.

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