US OPEN

September 7, 2001

Serena Williams

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

SERENA WILLIAMS: My percentage was high out there today on my serve. I didn't hit really any big ones. I just took some pace off and got it in. I tried to do that in my quarterfinal match also. But I haven't seen my service percentage. What was it, 82%?

SERENA WILLIAMS: What do you mean?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I didn't hit a second serve in the second set?

SERENA WILLIAMS: You're kidding. No, I can't serve any better than that (laughter). Oh, my gosh.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I really have been working on that. I didn't imagine in my wildest dreams that it would have been 100%. Oh, my.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I just felt that I needed the win. Not only did I want it, but I also needed it. I'm pretty low ranked. With someone with my name to be No. 10 is pretty absurd. I felt I didn't really like it in that position that I was in.

SERENA WILLIAMS: When the match was over and we were shaking hands. I never doubt anyone anymore because I've played a lot of people and they've come back. A lot of people played me and they've come back. It's never over until you're walking off the court. That's how I like to think of it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: She tried. She tried to come to the net. I was just on my toes today. I really wanted the win. I really needed the win. I wanted to win more than anything. When that happens and you have that attitude, then you're going to go out there and you're going to do better.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Very.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I'm feeling good now. I won a Tier I event. Actually, I've won two Tier I's. Right now, I just want to do good. I'm in the finals. I said from the beginning, I just want to win seven matches. So now I just have one left.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, actually there was a point where I felt very angry. I think I was playing Barbara Schett in Toronto. I think I lost the first set. I was pretty disappointed in my play at that point. I just had to turn things around.

SERENA WILLIAMS: To play each other in the final?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, Venus still has a match to win, so I don't know. It will be great history. It's going to happen sooner or later. It will be nice if it happened in 2001. I made it. We'll see.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not really. Maybe we should. We just go out and practice, we work hard. If you work hard, things are going to come for you. If you're a slacker, you're just going to get slacking results. We figure if we work hard, things are definitely going to come. Obviously, we do set goals for ourselves. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to reach the goal that I set for myself this year. But, yeah, we just go out and work hard. Good things come to hard workers, like the ants.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, because obviously I want Venus to do her best. And we've played each other a few times now, several times now. For me, it doesn't matter. It will be good for us, our family and everything. I'm sure TV would love it. Emotionally, it doesn't matter who I play in the end, because in the end we're going to have to compete anyway.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I won't have any problem because this is the US Open. If you ever notice, the winner gets $850,000 (laughter). So I won't have any problem going out there and trying to win.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I learned a lot. I learned a lot in that match. It was a big atmosphere. It was a huge atmosphere. I did take a lot from that match. I was pretty disappointed, but I took a lot from that match.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Mostly pointers for my game. My game kind of broke down a bit.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, definitely I just think right now I'm focused, I'm not even that excited anymore. I'm just so focused right now. I really, really want this tournament. I'm basically ready to do anything to get it. So that's why I don't think for me it really matters much. And Venus, she's really focused also. I don't think for her it matters much either.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I don't have anything to prove to the public. We know things that happened and what didn't happen. People have their own opinions either way. I've already made myself clear to the public, you know, on that situation. There's really nothing to prove. People are going to believe what they want to believe anyway. But the bottom line is, we're both competitors, we both want to compete, we both want to be No. 1, and we both want to do the best that we can. We're both of age where no one makes decisions for us.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, no. Probably the whole check will go, unfortunately, to Uncle Sam.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. My tax return right now is ridiculous.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, obviously, yeah, because I'm playing Venus, and she has a different style of game than Jennifer. If I'm playing Jennifer, I'm going to have a different plan, different tactic. If I play Venus, I'm going to have a different plan, different tactic. Kind of all depends.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, no. Tennis is just a game, and we're entertainers. We entertain the public. People come to see us play and perform. They pay to see us perform and entertain. After that, we go home, and Venus will always be my sister, we're always going to be a family. No matter what, she's always going to be there. We just take tennis as it comes. We play a match. After that, we have to be able to separate, you know, tennis from family life.

SERENA WILLIAMS: What do you mean?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I think in order to think the way a champion thinks, you have to take things as they come. Things don't always go your way. I think in the past I wanted things to go my way too often, but I was able to change that and realize if I was in this situation, what would I do? Things of that nature. I've been able to improve on that. Also I've been able to, this week, close out my matches a bit better. I really don't, you know -- yeah, basically.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I've had a good two weeks here. I've had a lot of support from the crowd. That's always nice to hear, especially, you know, after Indian Wells (laughter). So I always have plenty of support from the crowd. It's nice. It was really nice. So I like it here. I like the New York crowd, for sure.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, it was a pretty low blow. It was definitely a blow below the belt. It was pretty bad. Even after I won, when I went out to accept the trophy, they booed. But that was okay at that point. I really just did some prayers, and God was able to help me get through it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, no, I think that was just a one-time incident. Who was it, Martin Luther King said, "A lie can't live forever." Everybody forgot about that.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I talked to her a bit. I just told her to "Take your opportunities, stay calm." Basically some technical things she might want to try.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Venus is very quiet, especially before a match. She just takes it all in. I hope she took enough of it in.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Really? Really (laughter)?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, my God (extended laughter). That's a total shocker. Oh, my. You know, that's good. I don't know what to say. I'm glad I won today. I mean, that kind of stuff gives me a little motivation. "Oh, yeah, Serena, this person is here." 6 "they want me to win."

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, that would have been cool. I'm totally shocked. I didn't know he even watched tennis. It's fun because I find out some of the people that watch us. I'm like, "Wow." It's so fun. It's really weird.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think so. I think so. Venus and I, we're kind of different than all the rest of the athletes. We're different. We like to do things different. We have a different style. We're into fashion. We're into just a lot of different things. Cool. I'll have to tell my sister.

SERENA WILLIAMS: We don't do that, no.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You mean just for practice?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Venus and I, we don't, no. If anything, we play each other left-hand. We really go at it. Honestly, out of the tournaments, we like to practice, but we don't go that extra five miles to get to the practice. If we finish practicing, we're finished. Once it's 3:00, I don't care if I'm in the middle of a stroke (laughter). No, I'm just kidding.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, because my dad has always made Venus and I call our own shots. Like he always made us get our schedule, our times, our courts and schedule things that we wanted. Like even now, he makes us schedule our own tournaments. He never tells us what to play. He always asks, "So what are you playing?" I have to tell him usually when I'm playing. I think by doing that when we were younger, it's helped us to be more individuals. I had a problem individualizing myself from Venus because I was so close to her. But other than that, yeah, my dad and my mom always made us make our own decisions.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, for sure, because they're great parents. Not only did they raise two champions, but we're good girls. We have high morals. We live a good life. We live a nice role model, spiritual side.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm going to have to play very well. For anyone to be in the final of a Grand Slam, I don't care who you play, you have to be ready. Jennifer is playing great tennis. I'm going to have to make sure I'm ready because I've had a couple go-arounds, like you said, with her. You know, I'm ready.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Of course not. Give myself away.