	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 4, 2018

Serena Williams

Wimbledon, London, England

S. WILLIAMS/V. Tomova

6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How challenging has it been for you here at Wimbledon?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't think it's been challenging. I think I've just been here doing what I want to do and play.

Q. How close do you think you are now to being your best?
SERENA WILLIAMS: For me it's really hard to say. I don't know. There's so many things that I want to improve on, but that's kind of how I always feel. I feel like I'm going in the right direction. This match was better than my first round. I just hope every match is better.

Q. She had a couple of good points. I saw you kind of said a few words to her at the net afterwards. Did you have some encouragement?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, she played really well. I felt like she should be encouraged, keep going in the direction that she's going. She's obviously going in the right direction.

Q. Was there anything you were particularly pleased about, given your game today?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I just played better. I served a little more consistent. Still want to work on getting my first serves in more. Overall it's definitely a little bit better than the first round.

Q. There have been quite a few upsets so far. Half the top 10 seeded women are out already, only halfway through the second round. What do you make of that? Do you think there's any reason for that number of quick exits by highly seeded players other than maybe you're not one of the top 10 seeds this time?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I didn't know it was half. I know just a couple, but I didn't know it was half of the top 10.

It's hard. Everyone's playing hard. No one's giving you anything for free. Today I didn't get anything for free. In my first round, I didn't get anything for free.

I feel like people are going out there and coming out and playing their hardest.

Q. Is there anything about the grass that can be a leveler maybe, the fact there's such little play on grass?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, every season is a long clay court season, so it's kind of hard to say this is different. But it's not an easy transition, clay to grass. Again, we do it every year. But it's something that every player has to make those adjustments.

Q. Today Madison Keys was asked what she admires most in you. She said no matter what you've done, you still want more. Talk about the passion that you have?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I feel like I don't know. I feel it was something I was born with. I always want to continue to go forward. I don't like to be satiated with a great result. I want to continue and do more. For me, that's just who I am.

Q. Do you know in the media guide we get here, Wimbledon keeps very detailed marriage records for every female who has made the semifinals. They have multiple marriages for some players, all sorts of other things.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Hopefully it will be just one (laughter).

Q. Is that strange that Wimbledon is so up to date? Only for the women players, not for the men.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, I don't know. I literally have never thought about it. It's definitely interesting. Yeah, I actually never knew they had that. It will be interesting to know why it's not for both sexes.

Q. Back to your desire. You spoke about never being satisfied. What is the balance between wanting something so much but not wanting it too much? Some players have been in here and said they've almost been defeated by wanting something so much.
SERENA WILLIAMS: That's what happened the first round, I wanted it so much. It was stressful.

For me, I don't know. My balance is just taking deep breaths, just calming down. I don't know how to find that balance. I definitely clearly am not the best at finding that balance because I'm always worked up a lot on the court.

But I think just figuring it out however way each person can.

Q. What have been your observations of other players, what are the differences you've seen between them and you?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I feel like especially nowadays, everyone is so pumped, so ready, so intense on the court. I feel like it's a good thing. I think it brings a lot of excitement to tennis. For me it's super exciting to see.

Q. Slightly unusual here since the start of the tournament, quite a few more women's matches played on the Centre and No. 1 courts than the men. Is that something you welcome?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think it's wonderful. For so many years it was just two men's, one women's. Now it's several women out there playing. I think it's a great opportunity. It's great.

They did this the last time I won, as well, I think in 2016. I noticed that they were giving more women matches on the Centre Court. Just really proud to be here and play at a tournament that can recognize that.

Q. Back to the conversations about how many of the top seeds have gone out. What do you think it says for the depth or quality in the women's game right now that everyone is having such a tough time?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. Like I said, everyone is playing hard. No one is going out there and saying, Oh, I have to lose because I'm playing so-and-so today. These women are going out there and they're fighting. They're coming out to show that, I belong out here.

I'm actually doing the same thing. I'm going out there saying, I belong here, as well.

Q. I don't know if you noticed, when you actually started your match, the stadium was about half empty, four people in the Royal Box, one of them was reading a newspaper. Is there something do you think that can be done to address that? Do they need to somehow filter when people can leave the stadium and come back in? It seemed a little bit weird, to be honest.
SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, the match before, Roger played before. People need to get up and get refreshments. I mean, I know myself, when I'm a spectator, I'm the biggest refreshtator [sic]. I'm serious. Men's matches are longer than the women. You can't sit there the whole time.

They came back. You saw the stadium was more filled, the box was more filled. I don't blame them. They need to get up and stretch their legs, get some strawberries and cream, then come back, start cheering again.

Q. As a big server yourself, on the men's tour at the moment they have a ton of really big guys serving huge. Do you enjoy watching that style of play when you are a spectator?
SERENA WILLIAMS: When I say 'spectator' I'm thinking of other sports. I don't spectate as much tennis, unless I'm on my couch.

But, yeah, I like all styles of tennis. I like to see big serves. I like to see long rallies. I think that's what's cool about it, just different games. It's not just one game. So many different players playing different types of games.

Q. Talk about your possible next opponent.
SERENA WILLIAMS: It looks like Mladenovic is going to win. It will be good. I haven't played her in a while. Yeah, she's had a really good year last year. She's still doing well.

Like I said, I have to come out there and do the best that I can do.

Q. Over the years there have always been a couple of women who had children who were on tour. Victoria Azarenka. With the longevity of women playing into their 30s or beyond, do you think that's something we could see more often?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think so. I think it will be nice to see ladies live their life and not start having families at my age (laughter). That's why I think it's so important.

I think Wimbledon did such a good thing with the seeding. It will be really nice for these women to take a year off, and have the most amazing thing in the world, then come back to their job and not have to start from the bottom, scrape, scrape, scrape. Still give them an opportunity to be out there for bringing life into the world.

Q. You mentioned your appreciation of the different styles in tennis. What do you recall about 10 years ago when Rafa beat Roger, if anything? What do you make of the differences in their styles?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I don't remember that at all. I actually was watching a video incidentally just this morning, I was watching Rafa playing. He had the long shorts. That's all I remember. I don't remember anything else. Maybe it was a long match.

Was I there? I don't even know if I was there that year. Yeah, I have a really bad memory, though.

Q. How about their contrasting styles? What do you think of that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it's great. I think actually now they're a little bit more similar in terms of staying on the baseline a little bit more. At least Roger does now. But they both are starting to play aggressive. Rafa comes to the net a lot more. I actually think both of their games have really evolved.

Q. I'll take you away from tennis. How are your projects in Africa going?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's going good. I'm actually working on a new project now. I'm not going to talk about it, but yeah, it's really exciting.

Q. Which country?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I haven't decided yet.

Q. You mentioned before about remembering matches. You've played a lot of matches now in your career. In terms of early matches at Wimbledon, how many of them do you remember? Do you think these two matches you just played will be matches you remember in years to come?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I remember some early ones. I don't remember some early ones. Sometimes I forget them by the time I'm deeper into the tournament. It's hard to say.

These two matches were really on the way. Since I'm on my comeback, my first Wimbledon, I'll more than likely remember them.

Q. Overtime past couple of decades, you've traveled the world as an ambassador for the United States. On July 4th, I'd like to ask you what you love about our country, what makes you feel good about being an American?
SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I just spent my whole life, was raised in America, Compton, California. I have wonderful memories of growing up, being able to have an opportunity to play tennis and to travel the world. I'm really grateful for that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297