US OPEN

September 9, 2000

Venus Williams

MODERATOR: Questions for Venus.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I feel that it was a very nice victory because I feel like I played Lindsay when she was playing some of her best tennis, and I won the match. That was nice because I've beaten the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the rankings successively. That's always really exciting when you win a Grand Slam tournament, that you know you performed your best and beat the best performers, too.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I feel very good. I've always felt like the best player. I think it's just about an attitude, the kind of attitude you take out there towards your game, towards everything, and it paid off. I wasn't playing too well in the beginning of the week, and even yesterday. But in the end, I guess I did the right things at the right time.

VENUS WILLIAMS: We were just talking, you know, like fathers and daughters talk.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. It's like yesterday I really don't remember really what happened. I remember the first set, but after that I don't really remember too much until about maybe 5-All. And today, I was just playing. I didn't feel like I was playing the US Open final; I felt like I was just playing a game and that it was just only a game. That's how I felt. At one point, I didn't know in the second set if I was up 3-2 or she was up 3-2. I had to ask the umpire the score because I was just playing. So that's a nice feeling.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I had been playing all the wrong tennis, I felt, and my strategy was not working. So I just had to change it up. And I think it was just some minor changes, but it worked out.

VENUS WILLIAMS: You never noticed?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, at Wimbledon I was playing pretty good tennis throughout the whole time, all the time - my serve, my forehand, my backhand. This two weeks, I didn't really play extremely satisfying tennis, and maybe even I was less confident than, let's say, Wimbledon. Wimbledon was something totally different. I just had a whole new attitude. It was like I was going there to win and I knew I was going to take it home. And then I did. But this two weeks, I've been a little shaky because I've been working hard but things haven't always gone the right way. But I played the big points.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. I guess, as far as tennis, I'm a different person, just making it happen basically. Last year at this time I was watching Serena in the stands, you know, cheering her on. Whenever she made some mistakes, say, "That's okay, Serena." She pulled through.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Of course I wasn't happy. I played horribly. I mean, come on, if you had lost a match like that, you hadn't given it your best, you hadn't stepped up, do you think you would feel -- I still haven't gotten over that loss. Ever since then, I've changed my attitude. But it's good that she won, and I would never wish the next person would win. Come on.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, a little bit.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, "The Brady Bunch" was on TV so we were watching it and talking about how much she loved it.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah.

VENUS WILLIAMS: This morning. She just walked in. She never called me and told me what time she was arriving.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Not really. Well, she left me a note. She said, "I'll see you on Saturday holding up the check," something, I don't know. So I thought maybe she'd come back, but I wasn't sure.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, we did. There was a whole interview, I guess, on CBS. We talked about a few things that were pressing in the nation.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Like taxes (laughter).

VENUS WILLIAMS: How I was really unhappy about my tax bracket. He said, "You really worked hard." I said, "See, I did work hard and I want to keep this for me and my earnings. I'm a good citizen."

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't really know that much about the presidential race. I don't read the paper. I think that's the main problem. I don't watch TV. Sometimes I'm -- I don't know what's happening in the country.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don't vote.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, I would say there are more Czechoslovakians and Slovakians in the Top 100 than maybe black people. We just aren't playing that much. I'm only one person. I'm 20 years old. I can't tackle a problem of race. I'm doing my best. I'll do what I can.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Because we like basketball and football. We just haven't played tennis as of late. Now we're more visible, so it should be going - hopefully turning different ways.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Four. I was around tennis all my life, though. I started at four, but I'm sure I hit some balls before that.

VENUS WILLIAMS: It honestly does not feel as like exciting as I thought it would, because you think that things will make you happy. But if you're unhappy already, it doesn't make a difference. When you're a tennis player - not for me - but a lot of times it's really a big part of my life. To be successful in the way that I am is really important. But I think you feel it more when you're unsuccessful, like last year when I wasn't very successful, than when you are. I'm really happy now, but I was really feeling it last year. It's great to win, but it was a -- there's a lot more things more important.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I felt like I wasn't taking my opportunities very well. I was just missing a little bit too much, maybe even hitting it a little too hard.

VENUS WILLIAMS: She was playing high level, but I think I was giving her exactly what she wanted. I sat down at 4-1 and I thought about it. I said, "I can't feed her like this. " I was just giving her the spoon, so I had to change it up.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I did it at Wimbledon, and I've done it here. I know I can do these things. Yesterday, I really didn't play well. Today, it's a totally different match. It's the finals, and I just was able to keep my game under control because yesterday I had a lot of errors, and today I was just able to keep myself under control.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Basically if you miss your first serve, you're going to be a little bit vulnerable. I like to see second serves coming. I like to see first serves coming, too, especially if they're not around 110. I don't really feel very intimidated. I just feel that did probably play a role into it because you're always feeling on the defensive, you're always hitting second serves. I was taking some pretty good strikes at some of them. You just got to play your best when you get to the Grand Slam finals, because these days, especially since the 1997 US Open final, no one's giving these finals away.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think that when I play the lower-ranked players that it's very strange. But like yesterday, I just felt they applauded any point that was good. Today I just really didn't hear them. I don't really remember.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't remember.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I am. It's tough for the tennis players to go straight from here to the Olympics, but it's okay. I'm looking forward to it. It will be a good experience.

VENUS WILLIAMS: To watching? From what I heard, you have to do a raffle with all the players. By that time I think I'm going to be a little bit tired because I've played a lot. I just am going to look forward to maybe seeing the city because I've never been able to do that before. I think for me that would be more interesting.

VENUS WILLIAMS: School starts in October. It's 11 weeks. So for 11 weeks I'm going to be grinding. I'll play one or two events during that time. It's the fall season. There aren't as many larger tournaments, so I feel like I can take the opportunity to do something a little different.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Six.

VENUS WILLIAMS: It's not a dance really. I don't know why you all say it's a dance. He was just jumping.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I really don't remember that.

VENUS WILLIAMS: In my mind I felt like I could, but my game really wasn't there yet. I was really having a tough time keeping my balls in. All my balls were flying three or four feet behind the baseline. Even at Wimbledon, I was still having a little bit of a tough time keeping them in. But I got through it. Now I still feel that way sometimes, but it's better than missing short in the net. That's when you know you're really afraid.

VENUS WILLIAMS: It's tough to say because now I think I'm a different competitor than what I was in the past because I was just competing. For me, it didn't matter if I was down 4-1. I was just competing. When I did that, I just managed to get that first set. It wasn't for me about the score; it was about the point and about playing well. I don't know. It's hard to explain. I was playing the game.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Sometimes I do have to get on the defense. I do like to dictate, but still all these two weeks, even last week when I was playing in the tournament before this, my balls are flying, and I can't keep them in. I feel like I have to keep myself under control. Today I didn't hit for corners really hard as much because I wasn't keeping them in. So I used my speed as an ally, I guess.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I've been eyeing this ring for a little while. It's a designer ring. They never go on sale. I believe I'll be able to get that.

VENUS WILLIAMS: It's at Saks Fifth Avenue in Florida. If it's not there, I'll get a nice piece of jewelry. Just one, though.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I've done my best, really I have. It seems like I can't move forward, but I know I will. I will move forward, it's just a matter of time. I haven't given myself a platform to do it.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I really won't play enough tournaments. I want to play tournaments. I think at this point I feel like -- see, I have a problem with getting bored. I'll start something and not finish. I went to school, and I have to go back and finish it because I have to finish things in my life.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Grand Slam titles are great because everyone comes out and plays their best tennis. No one gives anything away. You have to stay concentrated because it's such a long period of time, two weeks. Being No. 1 is definitely one of my goals. I've never been there before, so I'm trying.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think it was something that I was born with, but I think I lost it for a while, then I had to get it back - or else. I had no choice, either stay a mediocre player or move forward. It wasn't easy, but I moved forward.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, you know, I don't know because I think at times it's even harder for the people who have a lot of talent because they don't work as hard, and things come easy. Then the player who doesn't have as much talent, they're working hard, doing their best, then they get on top. The other player is kind of wavering along. Either way you've got to work hard because you've got to build the confidence in what you're doing so you can do it when you're playing in the match situation. Whether you have talent or no talent, you've still got to work hard.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I think maybe I was expecting people to give matches to me. Maybe that's what it was. It seemed like I would get to the point where I could take the match, but I didn't, and I would lose it. I think now I've just gotten to the point where I go out and take it, not just hope that someone will give it to me by making mistakes.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I've never had a goal to have all the Grand Slam titles, more than anyone, more than Margaret Court. I've just had a goal to play good tennis as long as I can.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Feels real nice because it's going to be right next to Serena.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I feel like we have three.

VENUS WILLIAMS: There was a lot of people this week - sometimes too many. I guess in America, everyone wants to come to The Open, everyone needs a ticket. It's been good. Everyone's trying to help us out.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. It's nice to see the young people win, seeing that I'm one of them. I don't know. I didn't even think about it.