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WIMBLEDONJuly 6, 2002Venus WilliamsWimbledon, England Q. Do you have something to your shoulder, an injury? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I'm okay, thank you. Q. After the match, you sat down for a minute, then you started talking. What were you chatting about, if you'd be willing to share? VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, just of what to do in the ceremony basically. If you don't know, then you don't know, if someone doesn't tell. Q. Can you run through your emotions now? VENUS WILLIAMS: My what? Q. Your emotions. Are you more disappointed that you lost? More happy for your sister? More thrilled by the way you played? VENUS WILLIAMS: Just normal. I would have liked to have won, but once again, too late. Q. What was the difference in today's match? What did you see in Serena that made her the champion? VENUS WILLIAMS: Really, I just think that she just had a better shot. I think I played well, to be honest, and high-percentage tennis. She just was pressing and hitting a lot of forceful shots. Q. Did you feel at times your serve let you down today? Was that the big factory? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I did have some double-faults on breakpoints, but I don't really feel like my serve let me down today, not really. Q. You're serving not as fast as you have here in the past. Is that the court, the balls, or is it your shoulder? VENUS WILLIAMS: Just trying to last for all the matches now, not just one game. Q. Are you consciously letting off a little bit? VENUS WILLIAMS: Just I'm going for a higher first serve - how about that - percentage. I like that answer. Q. Serena is more brave and violent than you? VENUS WILLIAMS: I guess you'll have to make your own assumption. Q. Yesterday twice she makes stop when you begin to speak. She answered on the question. VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I like to give her her space and let her speak. Q. Have you ever seen Serena hit her backhand like that? VENUS WILLIAMS: Really, she was just tremendous today. I think that it wasn't like a lot between us. But just on some of those points, she was getting some that I couldn't get. Q. Did the quality of tennis seem much higher to you guys as it did to us? VENUS WILLIAMS: We were just doing our best. We both wanted to win. Q. Was it fun, especially the first set with the tiebreak, going back and forth? VENUS WILLIAMS: Maybe if I had won, it might have been a little more fun. But having lost, I had more pressure on me to win the second set (laughter). Q. You now have lost the two last Grand Slams to someone who is now the No. 1 player in the world. What do you have to do to beat her? VENUS WILLIAMS: Just get down in there and fight. That's my best answer. Q. As talkative as the two of you are during doubles, when you had the changeovers on today's match, was there -- as focused as you are, was there any point where you had the urge to talk to Serena? VENUS WILLIAMS: No, no. Q. That last break against you, when you double-faulted, were you feeling tired at that point? Was there a little bit of tension you felt? What happened on that one shot? VENUS WILLIAMS: Just a bad choice. I would have chose differently if I could have. But there it was. Q. How proud are you right now of your sister? What sort of show do you think you put on today compared with the other Grand Slam finals you've met in? VENUS WILLIAMS: I think, you know, it's great to see Serena doing well because for a while there she wasn't doing her best. I didn't think she was doing the best that she could do. So now I think she has to feel better that she's taken full advantage of her career. Q. And the show you put on today compared with the other Grand Slam finals? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes, we're entertainers. We always want the crowd and everyone watching the game to be entertained, basically. Q. In the past, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert dominated women's tennis. Then there was a period when Steffi was dominant. Now you and Serena have the upper hand. If you have to say to those critics that say it's bad you're both dominant now, how would you respond to them? VENUS WILLIAMS: I wouldn't respond. Q. What do you think? Do you think it's good for women's tennis that the two of you are in a dominant position? VENUS WILLIAMS: I think so. Q. In what way? VENUS WILLIAMS: I think that we get a lot of attention for not just only women's tennis, but tennis in general. People are watching tennis now. Q. You both were stretching each other an awful lot, running down balls. Did you think while you were playing, reflecting afterwards, that was the best the two of you have played against each other? Seemed that way to us. VENUS WILLIAMS: Just less unforced errors. Only this. Q. But you both were going for lines, corners, making them? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I don't think I was going for it as much as Serena, but I don't play the same game as she plays. For her, it's all or nothing. For me, it's not this. Q. Did she or anybody else make you run as much as this one? VENUS WILLIAMS: Not normally. But you've got to have plan B. I'm glad that I can get to those balls, to be honest. Q. As the older one, you were expected to care for and look after your sister for a long time. Is it maybe harder for you to beat her than it is for her? What does these last two Grand Slams mean for the hierarchy or order in the family? VENUS WILLIAMS: Basically I think it's my responsibility to take care of each other more than anything. As far as the rest of the question, I don't really remember it, but I think that we're both pretty much in the same position. Q. Talent is universal. You are a little bit sad. How do you stay with the dancing and singing, playing instrument with the music so generally? VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't understand. Q. You said last year Serena wasn't really playing up to her potential, and that's why she wasn't doing as well. There were specific things she had to do, get her emotions under control, work on some of her shots. What do you have to do to get back to the dominant position you were in last summer? VENUS WILLIAMS: I still feel that I am in a dominant position, but it's virtually -- it's almost impossible to win every match. I aspire to do so, but it doesn't always happen. But normally, I have a high winning percentage, that's what it takes, I guess hang in here and stay on tour, is to win some and lose some. Q. Is it getting any emotionally easier to play Serena in these matches or is it still tough inside? VENUS WILLIAMS: No, it never was difficult. Q. It's not difficult emotionally? VENUS WILLIAMS: No. Q. What do you think you can learn to your younger sister now? VENUS WILLIAMS: What can I teach her? Q. Yes. VENUS WILLIAMS: As far as what? Q. What you can learn. VENUS WILLIAMS: What can I learn? Q. Yes. VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, I don't know. I guess we just try to take the best from each other, even on and off the court. Just we're role models for each other to see what each other's doing good. I suppose with each other, what we're doing bad. But I don't criticize her. That's the only thing I won't do. Q. Will you get treatment on your shoulder? VENUS WILLIAMS: Just going to rest for the doubles. It's good that I don't have to serve every other game. Q. Do you believe you will be the world No. 1 again? VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, that's what I'm here for, to be on top. Not trying to linger around at No. 2. But I've done my personal best this year. I don't think I could do more. Q. I noticed that you had your chair facing the Royal Box, whereas Serena was facing the court. Was that just incidental or did you prefer not to be able to see Serena at the changeovers? VENUS WILLIAMS: No. She turns her chair. I just sit how they come. They were sitting like that. They were facing that way. Q. What do you think the rest of the tour thought? It seems like the only two who can get your shots are each other. What do you think the rest of the women's tour thought as they were watching that match today in terms of the bar? VENUS WILLIAMS: Not sure, to be honest. I never gave it any thought. Q. Are there times when you hit a shot that you think nobody else would have gotten that except Serena? VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, sure. But then again, I think there's a lot of times that maybe she wouldn't have gotten it. Just today she played very well. Really, I kept my balls most times deep and on the line, and she kept returning them deep and on the line. So what can you do with this? Q. Was she simply unbeatable today, if anybody plays her or even you at your best? Given what you just said, even you at your best you couldn't have beaten her? VENUS WILLIAMS: I hope. I'm never going to count myself out. If the match wasn't over, I still wouldn't count myself out (laughter). But I think that for anyone to compete against her like this, it's going to be very difficult. Q. What kind of instructions did you give her about going to get the plate, what she needed to do? VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, no one told me the first year that you have to curtsy. So I was just running around like a fool (laughter). I made it a point to tell her that you have to curtsy. I said, "Did you know that?" She said, "No." "Well, you have to curtsy." Actually, that was about it. Q. Was it strange not having the Duchess of Kent out there? VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I liked this Duchess very much, too (laughter). Q. At what level does it hurt to lose your Wimbledon crown? VENUS WILLIAMS: It's not fun losing, no matter who you lose to. Doesn't matter. It's not something that I'm going to get used to or try to adjust to because I'm not one for losing often. So naturally I'm going to go out there and try to win the very next time. Q. Does the shoulder hurt at all? Do you need ice? VENUS WILLIAMS: Going to take some time between the singles and doubles. That's all I can do. Q. Feel like muscle more than bone? VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. Q. What is the different atmosphere in the final US Open, the French Open, and here? Did you realize that today there were no more than a hundred black people watching the match? VENUS WILLIAMS: I love this court. I like the way it plays. I like the stadium. As far as black people watching the match, well, maybe more will come out next time, I hope. But I think that everyone there thoroughly enjoyed the game. That's what's most important. End of FastScripts…. |
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