TMS - INDIAN WELLS, WOMEN

March 11, 2000

Serena Williams

WTA: Questions for Serena.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, the way she played tonight, I've never seen her play - her serve was really on. Every time, you know, she was down, she came up with a big winner. That was pretty good. That was really great. My serve wasn't kicking at all. I mean, tomorrow I think it will be better.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I thought that was really exciting. We are pretty influential. We changed the game. We came out on the scene, and everyone started playing harder, hitting harder, running faster, getting stronger, going to the gym, doing things different. Kind of like what Martina Navratilova did when she came out. They started going to the gym also. We're pretty influential in the game. My dad has done a lot, my mom also. It's like attracting a new crowd of people, a new crowd of fans. Everyone is really excited about it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, I don't know about experience. I mean, she plays -- I think she played a little more tournaments than what I did. I just never give up. I fight till the end. I can't accept not fighting. I have that never-say-die spirit. It just lives inside me. You can't go out and say, "I want a bag of never-say-die spirit." It's not for sale (laughter). It has to be innate.

SERENA WILLIAMS: We've never played in the Juniors before or anything. It was definitely a first. You always get a first.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know, maybe it was the stadium, the atmosphere. I could never get my rhythm. I've played so much better than this. You know, that's what you have to do. You have to be able to come out with a big match when you're not playing your best tennis. That's what I was able to do. She played pretty good. That's all that really matters.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Actually kind of, sort of. Without the beads, they stare at me (laughter). With the beads, they run to me. In the tournaments, I have a few beads in. When I was at the Lakers game, I didn't have any beads in. I was just trying to be incognito. The players came over to say hi. It was really nice. They recognized us.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I wanted to get an autograph from Shaq and Kobe Bryant for my nephew and niece. They really love them, but I didn't have any paper (laughter). It's so ironic. Everyone comes up to me, "Serena, this is for my brother." I'm like, "Yeah, right." I wanted to get their autograph, but it's like it's for my nephew and niece. I know how these people feel now.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know anything about this. Will you repeat it?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I don't hear much.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it gets me going. I've been playing pretty well in California. Last time I lost was a couple years ago, so I'd like to keep that record going.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm playing the Lipton -- the Ericsson (laughter).

SERENA WILLIAMS: Just in the beginning with the back. That was it. Right now, I'm great. I'm in great shape. I can run and stay out there. My maximum is eight hours. If anyone wants to stay out there for longer than eight hours, they can have the match.

SERENA WILLIAMS: That's right. It was so strange. I don't know what happened. It was so strange. Maybe it was some move that I did. The next day, it was nearly back to normal, and I could play the next week. I won the next week, so that was really, really odd.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, she really brought up her game. I kind of hit an error here, hit another error there. Maybe I wasn't as focused as I should have been. I think maybe that's pretty much what happened.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, in the third set I knew I just have to fight for every point. If I was up, she would probably hit an ace. I couldn't let that get me down because I know Venus has a huge serve. Whenever I play her, she usually hits a ton of aces. I couldn't let that get me down.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, they both have big serves. I think the three of us have the biggest serves on the Tour. I don't think you can really compare the games because they're totally different styles.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Rumor has it she's hitting and she's getting in shape, she's practicing hard.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I wouldn't know. She's only my sister, you know (laughter).

SERENA WILLIAMS: It really feels great. I was in Paris defending my title. I really felt great. I actually liked being the No. 1 seed, too. It was a special feeling. I have to get that No. 1 seeding again (laughter).

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I don't know. I don't realize. I have to watch this match on tape and learn from it. I'm pretty tough to beat off the ground. It's kind of hard. I can understand, you know, you have power, it's coming deep. It's kind of hard to keep getting these shots back consistently.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I definitely think so. I saw that match. We were at home. Our whole family were watching that match. Everyone's stepping it up. No one's giving away anything any more, nothing's for free. Every match you play, you have to fight. At least I don't get a free match anymore. Everyone that plays me really plays tough. She's really improved, unbelievable, just over the past few months. Everyone's improving. I've improved, too. Everyone's taken their game to a different level. It's a new millennium (laughter).

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes.

SERENA WILLIAMS: He wrote, "To Serena, all the best in your future career." He signed his name. I have to get more people to sign my book. I've got to get a lot of special people in it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It was pretty exciting. He was really what I had not expected. I expected him to be more uptight. But he was so down-to-earth, so casual, like any normal person that you would meet on the street. I found that really quite hard to believe, that he was that way. He was what I would call cool. He's in my cool book (laughter). Not many people are in there, you know.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It was pretty hard. You have to go through so much security. Everyone makes you roll your window down, you have to get your ID out. It's really hard to get in there.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Not many people, you know. You have to be cool to be in the cool book (laughter).

SERENA WILLIAMS: No one else I'm going to mention is on the cool book. Venus is on the cool book, a lot of people. I'm not going to mention any. That's next time.

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