THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 28, 1998

Venus Williams

Q. Where did your dance originate from?

VENUS WILLIAMS: That's my dance. I'm doing it all the time, when I'm practicing, or when Serena and I are together. I didn't do the full thing. You guys will never see that (laughter).

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I was having some problems, I guess, starting late in the second set. But I was able to pull the third out. I don't think it affected me so much.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I really wasn't ready to play at all. Might as well just have been someone else. I think that Anna played well also. I think she really came out there with a plan, a plan to win the Lipton. And I wasn't really prepared for that. But slowly I adjusted to it and I was able to come through.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes. Since I'm so tall, I guess I had the wrap on my knee, maybe she thought she should slice, keep it in play, let me rush. I wasn't so comfortable in the first sets. That was a good plan.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. Sometimes I like to hit big ones, sometimes I don't. It just depends.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Sometimes the pace isn't always effective. If you mix it up more, sometimes people don't like the spin so much, especially the shorter girls.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think that usually when people do lose, they beat themselves generally. The story of every match when someone loses, the person makes more errors. When I lose, or when Anna lost today, made more errors than what I did. I think you have to hit some winners, but you also have to make errors to lose a match.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, if I was tired, it wasn't really important because I had time to be tired after the match was over with. I think that she was tired at the beginning of the second. She looked very tired. So I felt that I should just keep the ball in play.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes, I was very concerned. I was concerned that if I didn't change, things were going to go too quickly for me. I was saying, "Wow, Venus, come on. How can I be doing this?" I couldn't believe I was playing this way. This looked like the old Venus. I used to bomb out. Not because she's a bad player, but because she didn't know how to play in certain occasions. I pulled my receive together, said, "Venus, come on."

VENUS WILLIAMS: What did I change? Hey, how is it going?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I was hitting a lot of errors. She was just slicing and slicing. I was hitting errors, rushing, not having too much confidence in my shots. I was also nervous, too. In the end, I was like, "This has to change, there's no need for this." So I just put more balls in play.

VENUS WILLIAMS: At that point, I was kind of tired and ready for the match to be over with. I felt there was no way I could lose serve. I think she played a good game at 5-Love. She stepped up and hit some winners. But there was no way I was going to lose serve in that game.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Because my strings always breaking. They break. For maybe an hour they last. I didn't want my strings to break at any important point, so I was changing the racquets more often.

VENUS WILLIAMS: They weren't broken at that time.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes. I didn't want to lose a point because of that.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I'm very happy. I've had happier days for more occasions.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I played all of the younger girls, including one girl named Serena Williams. They all have their different games and the different things they play. I think it's a good sign for the future because if it hadn't been me in the finals, it would have been Martina, or it would have been Serena. So it was going to be a teenage final, especially with Anna pulling her end in the bottom draw. I think that was good. Everyone was exposed to the new girls.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Generally, I don't think -- it doesn't really motivate me. I think it gives a good analogy for people who might not follow tennis to feel or to understand what I am for tennis. I suppose that's what I feel it means.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes, yes. My teachers got to come, some people who goes to our congregation, my trainer. Everybody got to come and see me win. I'm like, "I can't be losing in front of all of my friends."

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I saw this time. Last time I didn't see at all. This time I was able to see.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think that I guess that's what he wanted to do (laughter).

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. I don't get embarrassed at all.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, usually he isn't here. So that was good enough for me.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I think in my part of the draw, two of the seeds pulled out. Also she played a lot of the players in the Top 10, I believe about four. I think no matter what, you're going to play matches, people are going to want to win against you. I think it was good she got to play all those players, to have victories over them. In the end, I think that's insignificant, because you just have to play in each round. Sometimes people get on fire and you have to extinguish that, no matter who they are. So I think it's good that Anna was able to play well all the way here and to play all the players. I had, I suppose, a little more easier matches sometimes.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm coming. Don't rush me. I'm not here yet (laughter).

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm playing Amelia Island, not this week, but next week.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think I just need some rest. I played three tournaments in a row now. That's generally what I don't do. So I'm going to take some rest. I don't think it's so bad. I think it was just wear and tear, where I haven't had as much recuperation time as I would like. I think it will be good.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Not really, no. I don't feel that way at all. I suppose as my ranking improves, maybe I'll feel like that. But, no.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes. Ever since beginning of the Open, my first round match, I was losing in the first set. I was like, "Oh, no, not again. First round loss in the Slams." I managed to come through in that. Ever since that, I was able to change my game when I'm losing. Today I think I did also. Usually I have a powerhouse game, hitting a lot of winners and step up. I felt that wasn't working today. Anna was determined to run down a lot of balls and slice them back. If I wasn't going to come up to the net, at least I could raise the ball. I have different games. If I have to play them, that's what I do.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm not sure yet. It's kind of hard to say. It was 20 minutes ago. I guess I'll look back and think about it, as a good time, like the fifth biggest tournament. Pretty happy about that.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think so. Because I won a tournament before, but it wasn't the largest. Here in the semifinals, I could have lost there if I hadn't been serious. Sometimes you get to the semifinals, quarterfinals, and you just have to make that extra step so you can make the extra step in the larger tournaments, like the Slams. If you don't, then you just keep going out in the semifinals. Then you have never made it to the finals, to win the tournament. So here, I think I was able to win and feel what it's like to win. I think that really will help me in the future, especially this year.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think they feel the same. I was happy. Serena won the doubles there. This time I played so bad in doubles, it was unbelievable. We had so many leads. We just wasn't able to pull it together. We aren't that sad. It was only our sixth doubles tournament. But I'm very happy about both of my titles. I would never give any of them up.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I was trying to figure out how much I won. I didn't know. I was looking at the points, win or lose today, I was No. 10. Now I'll be closer to No. 9, is how I look at it. I'm not going to do anything with it. I'm going to put it in the bank. Buy my dogs a collar.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes. Because when I win, everyone wins. Serena wins, my mom wins. It's just good for all of us. It helps Serena, too, because when I win, I can tell her what I did to win, what kind of experiences I had on the court. It helps her a lot, so she'll know what to do. "Serena, don't do this, because I almost lost, or I did lose, please don't do this." It really helps her.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I don't remember.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think so. At this point, he's going to do that next.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. I just went to go see her because I was pretty happy at that point. It was spur of the moment. I didn't plan it at all.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think it's just from listening to my parents. When you listen to them, it really helps because I had to change my game a little bit in this match after the first set. It was something my dad had told me before, the day before, and today also. If I was having trouble, then to do this, to do that. That's exactly what I did. If he hadn't told me that or if I hadn't listened, things might not have gone the way they had today. So my parents are my coaches, they really help me get there. I have to listen, too. I'm going to do my best to keep doing that.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes, I will be there.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know quite the schedule. Is there a week?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm going home after the French.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm going home after the French.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Thank you. I'm speeding (laughter).

VENUS WILLIAMS: Thank you.