NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 27, 2002

Serena Williams

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

SERENA WILLIAMS: A little bit of both, actually (laughter).

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I played my second-round match, I was really happy with the way I played. I only lost one game. The girl was, she was a good player. So I think that was about the last time.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Come on, guys. You know I'm insatiable. My serve was struggling the whole match, I think.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, yeah, for sure. We've been practicing hard, and at least one of us - sorry - is going to go on to the next round. Hey, one of us is going to be in the final again, three years in a row. It was Venus the past -- last year I guess, two years. So that's a guarantee, and we're both really excited.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I just feel like it's my turn to stop making so many errors. We'll see what happens. It's all on how many errors I'm going to make, how many she's going to make. It's going to be like that. But it really -- I'm just really ready to compete. I've been playing very well. You know, I'm on a little winning streak, so we'll see.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think Venus and I have definitely played each other enough. I think after the first time it was enough for me. Now we know our games just unbelievable. But now even in a match situation we know it a little better too.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I'm definitely just trying to win the title. I need the points. I need the title. She needs the points, she won the title last year so she has the points coming off. So, we both have a very good reason to go out there and fight as hard as we can.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I was very disappointed, I must have made about 100 errors, just unforced after each ball. It was really disappointing because I played so well to get to that point. Then I kind of fell off. But that was several months ago. I'm not thinking about that match. I'm sure Venus isn't either. We're just going to go out there.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, my game, I'm going to have some errors. Venus' game also. Just hard hitters in general. I'm not going to go out there and make two errors. It's going to be impossible. So I'm expected to do a little something. But I give and take a little. I've been playing a little bit better. So taking it a day at a time, step at a time. Baby steps.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I definitely think so. I'm always going in there thinking positive, and just... I never, ever, ever, ever think negative.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it's good. I never played the junior events, and they have them at the Slams and now they have them here. This is definitely like the fifth Grand Slam because it's so big now, now that they have the addition of the Juniors. So I think it's a good thing for sure.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think that would have burned me out. Just thinking, "Gosh, I've already been here, I've already done that," I would have been jaded. I was able to live my life as a young kid and do things a normal child's able to do, instead of traveling a lot. But that's just me. I get bored very quick. I'm the type of person that can do things for a little while, then I'll get bored and have to move on to the next thing. Not everyone is like that.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, Martina, she's always good at making comebacks. So until I was shaking her hand, that's when I knew the match was over. But I never think the match is over until it's done, because she's good at making comebacks. And you just have to keep thinking like that. You can't just think, "Oh, it's over," because before you know it, it is over and you're going home.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, always. After every serve I always look at the scoreboard - always. So I haven't hit -- my biggest this week, I think, was 117. I haven't been hitting them big. I guess that's not big, I mean... (Laughing). Okay.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's not, no. I've hit harder than that before, so...

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think when I played her at the Grand Slam Cup, there was a lot of money on that line, I was determined to win (laughing). And, you know, money can make people real tenacious. No one could have beat me that day. That was definitely the best match I've ever played.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Against her.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Against her. So...

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. Definitely. Tennis, for sure -- tennis can only go so far and so long in our careers. I definitely talk to her before the match, get a chitchat on.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's normal. Really, it is. We have connecting rooms, so, I mean, it's nothing different. You know, if I see her, it's not like I'll try to bump her or anything (laughter). Or hit her, because -- give myself an unfair advantage, or maybe put a pillow over her in the middle of the night. I don't try to do that -- honestly, it's the same routine. We're not -- I'm not looking for an unfair advantage. Really.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, we don't. Really. It's just we take it as another match. No more than I would trash-talk anyone else.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. To be honest with you, no. We just -- I'm not huge on practice. I'm not the type of person that wants to hit six hours a day. Although lately I've been practicing a lot. But, no, we don't really -- we practice with each other, but we have hitting partners, too. So it kind of mixes it up a little bit.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Not yet. I haven't had any bidders.

SERENA WILLIAMS: (Smiling).

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I lost points. That's the only regrets I have. My ranking fell. But, you know what, I'm not even looking at ranking. I'm just looking at titles, then the ranking will come. It seems no matter how much I win, I seem to stay at the same place. I guess because I don't play that many events. No, I like to go places where people enjoy seeing me play.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I felt a lot of people did. It would be totally unfair for me to say they didn't, because there was a person in the crowd that actually got me motivated in that final. So that would be completely unfair. But at the same time, it would be unfair for me to say that they did enjoy it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Probably not. I'm not going to sit up here and fabricate things. I'm not going to cheat myself. I probably won't be going there next year either.