WIMBLEDON

June 30, 2001

Venus Williams

MODERATOR: Who would like to start?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm definitely getting better and better. The only thing, I feel like I can get the job done even if I'm not playing my best. I feel confident in my shots. I like playing here more than anything, so I don't want to be out.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, definitely not at all. I don't feel any pressure at all. More than anything, I just enjoy playing. I love this tournament. I really would just like to take it this year. I don't feel any pressure, and I'm happy that I don't. I know a lot of players do. And for me, I just don't feel any pressure.

VENUS WILLIAMS: There's a few things I would like to work on, I would like to see myself do better. But I am hanging on and winning, so that's most important.

VENUS WILLIAMS: A lot of technical things really. It would be just a lot of technical things. It's not anything like my concentration or my return of serve, my serve, although I would like to improve my return game. But everything else is like technical.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I'm not concerned at all. I think the results have shown that she is No. 1 at this point, and I think everyone else at this point probably hasn't deserved to be No. 1. And right now, even though she hasn't won all of the big events, she has played quite consistently and she hasn't been injured, so it does reflect how consistently she's been playing.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I haven't seen him. I thought he was happy with her win.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think, sure, I think it's really brave and actually a good idea for all the current players to advance the game. But I don't think it's really happening today, not in the way it used to. I guess priorities are different. Even in the fact that kind of tennis runs on its own, whether you're here or not. It's become more commercial. So there's some different variables involved.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I definitely think the game is advancing, for sure. But I don't think the players have to do as much maybe as they did in the past for it to advance because at that point, the game really grew, back in the '70s and '80s. Now it's kind of stabilized.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Depends on how hard I practised before I got here. At this rate, yes.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes, I do. Thank you.

VENUS WILLIAMS: How many were there?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, that happens sometimes. Really, once you get in the more important matches, you would like to close out in those kind of things, really not make those errors. You know, that's something I'm going to have to work on. I've been kind of doing that this whole first week. But I know it's something I can clean up.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, not really because the matches I've played, no one has given me anything. They've tried to beat me. If anything, it would be more dangerous because at times you do play players that you have not heard of who are extraordinarily motivated because they're trying to move forward in their careerrs; you play younger players. I think in both weeks you have to be equally as serious because no one wants to lose, no one wants to walk off the court a loser, no one wants to go home anymore. That's something you have to realise. I play hard every time.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I kind of like Munich. I've been twice, once for the Grand Slam Cup, that's no longer. So now The Championships are there. More than anything, I had good memories in Munich, so that makes it kind of a happy place for me.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, it's definitely something special, the World Championships. It's the year-end event. Don't want to end the year with a loss; I want to end the year with a win, on a positive note.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I wouldn't say -- as a professional for me, it's more important to win the big ones than to finish well. Finishing well for me isn't enough, especially at this point in my career. When I was younger, maybe it was okay, but now it isn't for me anymore. But I think at this point everyone else has been injured or in and out or up and down. At this point she has played the most consistently. And I don't think at this point anyone else would exactly deserve to be No. 1. She deserves the spot, and that's why she's there. Anyone else deserving will be No. 1, and they'll stay there. So at this point it's her.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, she's working her way there, just like me, just like everyone else. Really, you just have to play well for quite a while to get there, to prove that you are the best.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Winning Wimbledon, more important for me.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Because I love it here. I like this Grand Slam. I don't like to lose at the Grand Slams at all. Sure, if you can play well in the Grand Slams, it's pretty much a guarantee that you can have the No. 1 ranking.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm playing her?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh (smiling). Serena has played her in the last three Grand Slams. Petrova has not been the victor. She might take her anger out on me. I hope that doesn't happen. But she's a good player. She gets a good hit on the ball. I think that she's playing pretty well and she's playing better with every tournament. She's quite young. But, I'll walk on the court, just going to concentrate on me.