TMS - THE ERICSSON OPEN

March 26, 2001

Serena Williams

THE MODERATOR: First question for Serena, please.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think when I have a tough three-set match it gets me on my feet and it gets me ready to be better prepared. I was really ready today because I had a tougher match today. It made me really ready today.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think maybe so. Last time I played it was under different circumstances, obviously. It was a little tougher instead. But she's a great player either way. Whenever I have to play her, I have to make sure I'm playing pretty good. I did.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, the fans were behind me. I always have a good crowd here, they're always so friendly. That's usually with everywhere we go all the time. The difference today was I was really focused, I was really prepared. Last night I knew I might have to play her. I kind of knew what to expect this time because she played me kind of similar to the way she played me in Indian Wells. I just wasn't on top of my game there.

SERENA WILLIAMS: All of it. It's -- that was last week, and honestly, no matter what I can do, I can't go back and I don't want to go back. It's gone. Those days are gone. Moved on. I think most people have moved on.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you know, it's been difficult for our family in general because that was one of the biggest tournaments -- that was my first big tournament. It's a special place for me in my heart. I'm just trying to look forward and just trying to forget about that now. I'm on a different tournament right now. I'm focusing. I have another match maybe tomorrow and really I'm just trying to stay focused on tennis.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think, because constructive is narrow, I believe I can play under any type of circumstance. I just go anywhere and play under any type of circumstance. I think that's what's best.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't understand your question.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I understand that he did make comments. But you know what, like I said in my other interviews, I don't really read the papers and that's it. I just -- I woke up late today and I was running late on practice, I haven't -- I just actually saw something in the USA Today, just briefly. But then I had to run here. So I haven't really been, you know, I keep to myself. I'm at a new tournament. I'm trying to stay focused. I'm trying to improve my ranking because I'm really not happy where I am in the ranks. I'm a much better player. I have no points to lose, I didn't do well here last year. My main focus is tennis and getting to where I want to be.

SERENA WILLIAMS: My dad never told me that. I'm glad he didn't because I -- maybe I would have been a little more emotional about it. So fathers and parents know what's best to do for their child. They try to safe-guard them and keep them in a bubble, so to say, so if something hits it, it just bounces off and I won't be able to feel it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Let's see... Let me think about it. I don't know. I don't know. I can't remember. I don't know.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I don't. Just seems like the Williams sisters are always involved in some type of preposterous and just absolutely ridiculous - what's the word I'm looking for - controversy. Just preposterous. You know, I think we do very well considering we've been under a lot of -- we've been on a lot of covers of all the wrong magazines, so... (Laughing.) But we're just moving on. We're doing pretty good. I think we're doing well. We're handling it as a family and spiritually. So I think that's what matters most.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I don't know why they did that. At first, I didn't understand, you know, I was just walking out in the finals of a big Tier I event. You know, I was pretty excited. Had a couple big wins and I was, you know, I was like, "Wow, this is weird." At first, I was like, "Why are they even booing." I didn't understand. Then, obviously, it kicked in. I thought maybe it was because they were unhappy about what happened in the semifinals. But you can't always believe what you read. You can't always believe what you read.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I've seen a lot of her recently because she won the Australian Open, which is great for the Americans. We've been winning all the Grand Slams on the ladies' side with the exception of the French Open. We've been doing good. She's doing great. She beat me here last year, so it should be a good match for the fans. We're both from Florida so the crowd will probably be split. It's going to be exciting. We're both going in, it's just fighting till the end. We'll see what happens.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You have to talk to my dad about that. I think -- I'm not really trying to get involved in any type of controversy; I'm just trying to stay out of everything because I think unfairly I've been brought into a lot of things. Like last week, it had nothing to do with anything, but everything was taken out on me. I just don't want to get involved in anything right now.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Total nonsense.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think in general there's something in America, like I said, you know, before, there's Africans, African-Americans, we've been out of slavery for just 100 years. Sometimes it's just two generations. So in general, I think obviously there is -- and we all know that there is racism in America and that's just a fact. So in general, yeah, sure there is. But like I said, I really don't want to be involved in this. I'm just -- I have a tough match in the next round. I'm just taking it one match at a time really. That's all.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, everyone's on their own. Everyone's doing their own thing. I stick by my dad and I know that he's -- he usually is a very true person, true-hearted person. And he always -- he's always known what's best for both Venus and I and we always do what's best. So difficult, does it make it more difficult? I don't think so because, like I said, I don't read papers. When I watch the tele, I usually watch my programs and nonsense programs like Lifetime, "The Golden Girls." I just stay out of everything because I'm out here to play. I'm just out here to satisfy the fans and do the best I can do. That's all. Nothing more.