TMS - INDIAN WELLS, WOMEN

March 9, 2001

Venus Williams

MODERATOR: Questions for Venus.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes. I'm trying to make a change from my starts this year, in general.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, yeah. Just had a very slow start. I don't feel I played up to my potential or my personal best in the previous two tournaments. There's only room for improvement. I felt that I could move forward in this tournament, in this match.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I would prefer not to wait (laughter). If I could have a guarantee that if I did wait, I'd win the next Grand Slam, sure I'd wait. But it doesn't work out in life like that. All the other players aren't willing to make that deal with me. I definitely would love to have this title, and the next one after that, you know, really just get in a rhythm, get a lot of confidence on my groundstrokes, just play very competitively.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I don't know how I feel about it. I think it feels like a new year. I think for some people who play a lot, it just seems to keep going. For me it's definitely a new year, time to do new and better things. You know, hopefully I have a nice year. Had a nice year last year. To improve on that would be nice. There's no Olympics this year, so that will be different.

VENUS WILLIAMS: What happened to my game?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I didn't practice that much. I was extraordinarily lazy and I had a lot to do. All that put together, my game went down a little bit. But I've been back on the practice court. Right now I don't have too many distractions. I think I'll do better.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, I've always been at that point - not always - but I've been at that point before in my career. I know how to pull out of a slump, how to pull out of a bad match. Really, I just think it's refocusing yourself, always setting new goals so that way you move forward.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. I like being lazy. I think my dad does. He calls me every day. I feel pressure to go practice.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. Obviously nothing.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm trying to cut back on my shopping. I don't do too much shopping in Florida anymore. I buy a lot of fabrics. That's mostly my shopping in Florida. I do my shopping while I'm traveling - tax free.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah, definitely. I do at least. Maybe not everyone else does, but I have to, or else it gets boring for me. I have a short attention span, so things always have to be different and lively for me. I guess a good way to do this is just always adding new things to my game, having new challenges, really just getting beat a couple of times. That becomes a challenge, too, to stay on my streak, I guess.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I had school in October until December. Now I have an online course, which is really irritating, but I'm getting through it. It's writing. I just don't like doing it. I don't know. I just don't like doing it. Hopefully I'll get through it. Two more weeks left, three more essays. That reminds me, I've got to write one when I get back. I'm writing an illustration. If there's anyone out there that wants to write it for me, I'll give you a great interview for it (laughter). Serena, I'm sure she'll do the same. She is really struggling, worse than what I am. I've helped her a lot, but she's just no motivation at all.

VENUS WILLIAMS: It's English II. We just write essays, using MLA format. You know, thesis statement, topic sentences to support it, transitional sentences, all that fun stuff. You guys are professional at it, I guess.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Definitely. I have to get that speak-and-say-it thing. I have it, but I haven't installed it. It's where you speak and it types it out for you. I definitely need that.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Both. It takes time. It takes time to do it, ideas. After a while, you start filling paragraphs with nothing. But the teacher's been real nice.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Two-year. Our school in Florida only has the two-year program. Others around have four.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No (laughter). I'm tired of it. It's all I can handle right now. Really, I think fashion is something where you just have to have experience, hands on work.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Because I like it, it's interesting, it's always changing. It suits my personality, I think. I just like to get a lot of things done, as much as possible. I'll be done in four or five years, you know. Oh, Lord, I don't know. Maybe three.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, yeah. Serena and I, we're thinking about putting one out. Like I said, I'm lazy. I've really been thinking about writing. This time, though, we're really going to get it professionally done. We did it ourselves, did the whole layout ourselves. Now I think we're going to have like a graphic designer for us, put pictures in it. The next time around it will be nicer. It will only be six times a year instead of every month.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I do. It's just that I like my lazy time. I still like to do a lot, just be busy. That doesn't mean I like to write.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Definitely, my new goals are to play consistently, as always. That was something I was really working on last year, throughout the whole time that I had all those wins, just play consistently always. If I were ever to take the top position, something like that were to happen, naturally I'd want to be consistent in every match. That's something I want to work on also, just improving my serve. Other than that, I'm pretty good.

VENUS WILLIAMS: It was real nice. I like it.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I guess I just didn't play. I was here one year. I played doubles with Serena. After that I just -- I was injured. It's been a couple years. But I'm back.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I like it. It's nice. It's mostly blue - a little bit purple - mostly blue to me.

VENUS WILLIAMS: To me it looks blue.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I was just tired - just too tired. That's all.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think it was where I wanted it to be. After just giving it my all for a little while, I was just tired. So many things went wrong for me, a lot of glitches in Australia. In the end, I just wasn't able to do it. That was a long time ago. I gave it my best. Just wasn't successful that day. I don't think anyone really remembers that match. I don't.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, you don't (laughter).

VENUS WILLIAMS: The rest of you don't.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Really, it's not going to be in history. I don't really feel bad about that match because I was just tired. There was just nothing I could do that day. I was tired before I stepped out on the court.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I hated giving that game up, really I did. Things like that happen. She played well. It's not like she played badly. I was able to get all the important points.

VENUS WILLIAMS: As far as?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, we're usually lazy at the same time. We motivate each other. If I get out and start practicing hard, she will, too, vice versa.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I have to be, yeah. This is my job. If I don't play well, I have no income. I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, my God. I think my mom would kill me if that was happening.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, every now and then.

VENUS WILLIAMS: She must have a large tax bill. She's probably looking forward to that tax cut. I'm hoping for it myself. Need some relief.