AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 24, 2003

Venus Williams

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I think a lot of times we do follow our serves to the net.

VENUS WILLIAMS: We just get a lot of service winners or the net person kind of gets the ball. You know, we love the doubles. Of course, we understand the best opportunities are at the net.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Thank you.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it's definitely good if we come to the net eventually. We're always trying to add a little extra in our games.

SERENA WILLIAMS: We knew coming into the match that they were going to do a lot of lobs because they're pretty much -- that's their game, hitting a lot of lobs, especially for us that close too much. We knew that going into the match. It wasn't like we didn't expect it.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, we definitely practiced our doubles tactics before. We went out and had a doubles practice. We know that they're very good at doubles, that they're playing all the time, they're very experienced. They're able to see the ball a little better in a doubles situation, much better than what we would. We have to just use everything that we have, our experience, we have so much experience of being in tight situations and still winning. I think that's what we used today. And, of course, our serves.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I looked at Venus and I said, "They're playing very well." Because obviously they haven't won the Australian Open yet, and they're one of the best teams last year - probably the best team consistently also. I think they really, really wanted to win this title. That makes you really want to fight harder and just go out there and do even better than normal.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, Serena wasn't worried at all. In fact, I was the one a little worried because I just kept missing. I was so disappointed in myself. I could hardly get past that. But she helped me get past that. That's why I play with her. I wouldn't be able to do it with anyone else, honestly. The hold was so important.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It was 26 minutes?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, yeah, I just kept thinking, "Okay, I'm serving." When I'm serving, I'm just not going to lose serve. I don't care how many times I lost serve previously, I just said, "I'm serving, I'm not going to lose serve here." I just kept fighting. I said, "Don't worry, Venus, this is our serve. Second serve and all, I'm going to keep fighting." I came in a few times, hit some decent volleys. I said, "I'm not going to lose serve here." I didn't want to lose serve there at all.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think the girls came out and played really, really good. I think we were pretty much down the whole match except all of a sudden we were up 5-3. It just happened so quickly. We focused on just closing it out. That's really what happened. They were just so good. They ran everything down, they got everything back, they hit all their best shots. It was just really all of a sudden like we won the match so quick.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's just that these girls today I think played a better game. Yesterday I think Venus and I played a little better also because we knew we were -- I think we're facing a faster team, maybe we were just a little more prepared to face Davenport and Raymond as opposed to them. We knew they were going to lob today, we knew they were going to try to do some soft balls. I think we got off to a bit of a slow start.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think we were using our angles that well. Normally there's a net person to attack, and we were at the baseline. I think they kept bringing them back. I think we got a little excited and took our eye off the ball. I think we settled each other down pretty good.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I haven't had time to. I have been over here for over a month now. I do plan on playing. I'll try to e-mail her or try to get in contact with her. But, yeah, I planned on it.

VENUS WILLIAMS: It's in Boston, right?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I really would like to. If everything goes well, healthy, happy, I want to be there.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I don't know. I just said, "Come on, Venus, let's just fight here." I remember specifically hitting an overhead.

VENUS WILLIAMS: We had a strong hold. Once you go from 1-3 to 2-3, it looks a lot better, not only to yourself but also to the opponents because they don't have that huge gap. 1-3 looks really big. When it gets closer, it starts to make them think, "We have to hold."

VENUS WILLIAMS: With the tennis?

VENUS WILLIAMS: She's just fine.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's always stressful, though. I mean, to be out here yesterday, she watched Venus play, then just stayed. I had to play a two-hour match, then another doubles match. Every day one of us is playing singles for two weeks.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Sometimes.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'd have to ask her how she likes tennis. That's interesting.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I went to sleep at 4-5, thinking it was over.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I made sure I didn't watch it because I knew I had a match the next day. I didn't want to see any mistakes the next person was making in case it transferred over to my game. I think early in the fifth, I just turned it off to make sure I'd go to sleep. I had no idea it went that far.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, we're just ...

VENUS WILLIAMS: We want to. Honestly, the singles is so demanding, we just get so tired both physically and mentally - mostly mentally - that the doubles just adds a lot to it. That's why we concentrate on the Grand Slams, try to rack those up.

SERENA WILLIAMS: For me it doesn't. I just think -- I didn't even know we were going to be seeded, first of all.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. I looked at the draw. I said, "Now, there's Williams-Williams at the top." I thought somebody pulled up and they put us in as the next seed. I kept looking at it. I couldn't make it out.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Couldn't quite make it out.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Finally I accepted it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think seeded or not, we're just going to fight. It doesn't really matter whether we're seeded 1 or 2 or wildcard.

VENUS WILLIAMS: We just want the wildcard.

SERENA WILLIAMS: We just want the wildcard just to have the chance to fight.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I'm too old (laughter).

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I don't know what they're doing. I know that's going to be in addition. From what I understand, the WTA Tour, maybe the ITF, has that as an addition. For us, it doesn't really matter.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No.

VENUS WILLIAMS: We work hard out there, we really do, fight through it. It just seems -- sometimes I just pick all the wrong times to cross. I'll see the ball, the girl will have a low volley, I will get a high ball, "I'm going to cross," but the ball goes all the way in the alley and I can't get it. For me the doubles is more difficult than the singles.

VENUS WILLIAMS: We just use our serves and our returns.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Our volleys (laughter).

VENUS WILLIAMS: Competitive spirit.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, of course. It's for the final of a Grand Slam. You never know if you're going to make it that far again. Of course, you're always going to be fighting.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah.

VENUS WILLIAMS: We want to. It just turned out there wasn't a lot of time this week. But for sure we will, especially at events like Federation Cup. It's really important that we do because it's very important matches.