TMS - THE ERICSSON OPEN

March 27, 2000

Serena Williams

WTA: Questions for Serena.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Actually, you know what, I feel I played okay today. I mean, she just played some great shots. Maybe I could have came in a little bit more, just try a little different things, yeah. I just -- I don't know. I'm going to go home, talk things over with my dad. We'll evaluate things.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Shock me? Anytime I lose, it shocks me.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not really. People were always gunning for me. I don't know. I mean, they always played me real hard than I've ever seen them play other people. You know, whenever I go out there, I know people are going to play me extremely hard, whereas they might go a little easy on other people.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think definitely today she played some of her best tennis. She did good. The best for her.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I don't remember a big match. No, I can't remember. I mean, this tournament, I've been really struggling with my serve. I don't know. I'm going to go and work on that, too. I don't know why.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It was really windy out there. I mean, it was hard to, you know, play my game. I think if it wasn't so windy, maybe I would have came out with the win. But I don't know. You know, just yesterday people were asking me if I ever played in windy conditions. I said, "No, I never played in windy conditions." What do you know, the next day it's really windy, so. You know, there's a first for everything. Today was my first. I'm still young. I'm only 18. She's 24. How old is she? 23.

SERENA WILLIAMS: That was unfair. Things happen.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't understand. When the crowd was going crazy?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I didn't know what happened at all. I didn't understand. All I knew is I got the game. I thought maybe the umpire gave Jennifer a point penalty.

SERENA WILLIAMS: That's what I thought. I don't know what happened at all. All I know is I got the game and I thought my ball was out. I don't remember what happened. I remember I hit a backhand and it was out. Jennifer, I don't know, I thought she got a point penalty. All I know is I got the game.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, it was out. But I didn't know that, you know. It's not my job to call the lines.

SERENA WILLIAMS: That was the only thing I could figure. I didn't think they would call that in, though, because it was pretty far out.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I guess in that situation, usually it's pretty clear. But the crowd was so loud, no one could really hear anything. Even I couldn't hear anything. I don't know. Usually it's pretty clear, but today I guess it wasn't clear. Something that doesn't happen so often.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't foot fault.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't foot fault (laughter).

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I mean, at that game, every time I tried to go for a return, the ball just at the last minute turned into me like the wind. I was like, "Wow, this is ridiculous." It was really strange.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, Venus. I used to really not like playing doubles with her because she did that all the time.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I didn't have a reaction. I was just ready to play, you know, try and get every point that I could.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Every time I play her, she might have a lead on me; I usually come back. I think I played her in Berlin, she was up 5-2, I came back and won.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I'm ready to play Martina again because she makes a lot of comments. But she's right. Actually, I've been losing a lot. I lost in the Australian Open, I lost in Indian Wells, I lost here. So, yeah, it's her and Lindsay right now, yeah. Hopefully we'll play each other soon.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Obviously, of course.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. Like I said, I'm going to go home and talk things over with my dad, you know.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. You see, I grew up in the ghetto. I've been used to worse distractions. That's really no distraction to me.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I usually look forward to the beginning of the year because most of the tournaments are on hard court and I do really excel. You know, now I'm really looking forward to the middle of the year because I love to play on the clay. I'm definitely going to get ready for the play.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm playing a lot of tournaments, you know, Bausch and Lomb, Hilton Head, Berlin.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Is there?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Wow, I didn't know that. Maybe I won't play.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Seriously, yeah. I mean, I'm really not involved in politics. But, you know, what's right is right, and what's wrong is wrong. I mean, that's so long ago.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I am actually. It's a shame. I hear they're moving it to South Carolina next year.

SERENA WILLIAMS: So, I mean, maybe I'll play next year. We'll see. I'll have to talk things over with my dad again, see what he thinks. I'm not going to support anything that's putting down my race, you know.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah, definitely for sure. She's a strong girl. She looks real strong. She's very fast. Every time I play her, she runs down a lot of balls. She's always been fast, even when she was younger. I remember I watched her when I was young. I remember she was really fast.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I guess. I don't know. I don't know. Not for me, no. You'd have to ask her.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, I try not to get devastated over losses anymore. I took a personality test, and I found out that I was a perfectionist. If I don't do things perfect and cross my T's and dot my I's, it's really hard for me. I have to realize that this is just a game; I'm just out there to please the crowd, just do the best that I can. If I go too extreme, I'll end up in the nut house with the other perfectionists.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. Every time I lose, I don't feel good. I mean, it's kind of hard to feel good after you lose. Like I said, I can't dwell on it because I'll go crazy, because I like to have everything perfect.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Never.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. There's always a type error after it's printed.

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