THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 23, 1998

Venus Williams

Q. I wanted to ask you if you feel like the way the media portrays you or newspaper articles or TV, is that a very accurate portrayal or if you were writing a story about yourself, would you write it differently than what you're used to seeing?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I believe if I wrote a story, the story would be filled with things that didn't make sense, a lot of jokes, a lot of foolishness, probably would not focus on tennis at all. I don't think I'd probably say anything about tennis. I probably would be introduced as a professional tennis player, go on from there. I believe in the past, when -- there were some very inaccurate articles. I believe everyone has come to the light now and have been able to see the reality. I think things have turned. I think that eventually will be a forgotten page in history.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think I was well received at all. I don't think people were able to understand or handle my and Serena's emergence as players and contenders on the Tour. Now that people have come to reality, are aware that we're going to play good tennis, I think things are different. We're friendly, Serena and I. We're happy. I think we're doing our best.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I lived in Los Angeles when I was born till I was like 11. It didn't seem bad to me at all. I was little. It's where I lived, where I grew up. It was my place of residence. I was, I suppose, proud, if I can remember proud at that time. Now that I look back, I've come a long way since then. I'll be back to play a tournament back in LA, you see people doing the same things. You see how far you've come, that your whole family come, how you can see things differently on a much larger scale. That's when you can really see what you've done, just move on, just do better.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think that generally you're able to live more comfortably financially, but you aren't always happy. I don't think money can make anyone happy. I think sometimes people think so, but in the end it's not so. To have a family, being happy doing what you're doing, having fun, those things. Most of all right now, I I'm trying to get my ranking together. I'm thinking about the points. I try to stop thinking about the points. At the end of the tournament I add them up. That's my goal.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I think if I want something, I can have it. Usually I plan to get things. When I play well in tournaments, I get it after the tournament. If I don't think I played as well, if I didn't do the things I worked on in practice, then I don't get anything. I have to keep myself under control. That helps. For a while, I got out of control. I realized this and I came to my senses.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I love jewelry. I just love jewelry. I would get a lot. I used to wear a lot, too. A lot on this arm, two on this one (indicating). I wear a watch on this one. If I go to Europe, I wear one watch here, one watch there (indicating). Now I have this. But I love jewels.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think that we visited Florida, we had a lot of fun practicing our tennis, liked it there. It was something new. Serena and I decided that we like this. My dad -- we were happy doing that, so that was best. My mom probably agreed, too. We probably wouldn't have went if she didn't agree.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes, part of it.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I generally wasn't a part of the academy with a lot of the kids. Serena and I were doing our own thing. We weren't playing junior tournaments. I really don't know about really being in an academy, but I was around an academy.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm finished. Oh, my gosh, I was reading an article. I was reading that this time last year in chemistry, I was nine assignments behind, and geometry I was 14 assignments. No more of that now. I don't feel anything on my shoulders.

VENUS WILLIAMS: High school.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes, I could.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, yes. I have my plans.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Can I reveal the future?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I have to take my SAT's. I haven't taken those yet. I've procrastinated. I had the form since October; I never did it. Real problems with that.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. It takes me a long time to get things done sometimes. You can go to the summer school terms, six-week terms. That's realistic for me. For me to go in the fall and spring wouldn't be so realistic. I think it would hurt my tennis game.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I've told him my plans. He's very happy with it. I was very happy, too, because I really want to go to college. My sisters go. I can see the benefits they're getting. I have benefits, too, in tennis, but there's other things also.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think so.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think so. I don't think I need a scholarship. I'm not going to play for the tennis team. I don't think they would let me play for a tennis team.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes. Unless I could just go into retirement.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Do I actively visit and witness?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I understand.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, we believe -- it's just like tennis. You can't just go once a month and expect your game to be on top. You have to reiterate everything. We believe in good association, association with fellow Witnesses, not becoming too involved with people that don't have the same beliefs and same values that we do. We go to meetings three times a week. They encourage us. You learn there, you learn more, just continue learning until you get a better understanding of things. I guess you are aware that we do house-to-house witnessing. I can't do that at all because I'm on the road. Getting more popular, I don't know if I can go house-to-house. I'm thinking about that. People are going to say, "What about the women?" I'll say, "What about this?" I was thinking about that.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes, ever since I was little. Generally, I can speak to people about it.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I didn't get to ride. Serena got to drive it a little bit. She pulled it out. I was like scared to put the suit on. I'm like, This isn't my suit.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Never. Not just because my parents believe, but because I do. I think that some of the reasons why a lot of people say Serena and I were good kids, we're obedient, never going crazy, is because of our beliefs. In the Bible it tells us that disobedient children do not live all their days. I believe that. A lot of times, like, I'm thinking about it, if I was not a Witness, if my parents told me to do something, I was thinking would I do it or not? Would I do what I want to do? The main reason I do is because I want to obey them, because it will be best for me, and because I'm afraid that things won't go right for me. It's God's law. So I do it because of that, too. I mean, I have to. That's how I live my life and how we got our lives.