US OPEN

September 3, 2006

Serena Williams

THE MODERATOR: First question for Serena, please.

Q. You're looking good out there. You must be feeling pretty good.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm feeling better, thank you.

Q. You feeling like close to a hundred percent physically?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Definitely feeling close to that. But more than that, I just feel like I'm trying to do the best at playing my game and doing just working on things that I worked on in practice.

Q. Are you playing your game better with each match?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think I'm playing better with each match. I try to always do little things better and hopefully peak in the latter rounds.

Q. It looks like Mauresmo is up in the third. Looks like you'll be facing her next. What are your thoughts on that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, Mauresmo has been playing the best as anyone on the tour this year. So it will be a good chance to see how I play against her. I like playing her. I like her game. Should be a good match.

Q. I just looked it up. You're 9 1 against her lifetime. What is it about your two games that you match up so well with her?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I like the way she hits the ball. You know, I just think we always have some really good matches, really interesting matches. She's been obviously doing really well.
But, you know, I'm doing better as well, too. My game just likes her game.

Q. The tennis circuit is such a grind, so demanding. You had this break from the circuit, which in a way had to be refreshing. What did you learn most about Serena when you went off the circuit and away from all this?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I learned so many things about myself. I learned it was more or less what didn't I learn. I learned different things with patience. Just how to have fun. You know, taking care of myself, making sure I'm healthy. Just so many, so many different things that I was able to learn.

Q. And the patience part of the puzzle, you just had to tell yourself to relax?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. To relax. I have absolutely no patience, and I hate waiting. So that was really important lesson.
I just was able to learn that sometimes it's better to wait.

Q. And the fun part? Were there a lot of times you were just more carefree?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, when you're on tour for so long and for your whole life, you just always are cranking the ball around, so to say. That's your whole life. It was interesting for me to have some time, so much time on my hands where I was like, wow, I can I wasn't worried about practicing. I was worried about rehab, but then I couldn't work out. It was interesting, but at the same time I really wanted to play.

Q. You've only played about 12 matches this year. Do you feel now you've kind of played yourself into this tournament and people better consider you a strong contender?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I've played myself into the tournament. Like I said before, I don't know anyone that sees my name next to theirs and they're really excited, so to say. There's a couple players out there who I think have that you could say that about.
So I've always considered that as being a factor.

Q. We sensed around the press room a tremendous almost sense of sorrow with Andre leaving. There was a tremendous response in the men's locker room. I know it was just a little while before you went on, but can you share with us what the feeling was around the women players and your friends.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you know, I was with my friends, and obviously watching the match because it was historic. It was just a great moment. We were all so sad. We were crying. I get really emotional. I can't watch emotional movies because I'm really emotional. I'll start to cry really easy.
So, I mean, Andre has meant so much. I just, you know, think, you know, he was around, I was a child. I used to watch Andre Agassi. I just remember his jeans shorts. I remember the Rebel commercials he had with the camera. You know, he was just everything that I aspire to be, not only on the court but off the court, because he had this great charity going on, and he seemed always to be a person that, you know, had this great personality. But at the same time, he was always willing and ready to give back and to, you know, do his own charity and do different things for, you know, so many kids and so many people.
So it was definitely a really sad moment for us. At one point I had to calm down and say, Wait a minute, I'm crying harder than Andre here (laughing). Really ridiculous. I was like, okay, pull myself together and realize that I wasn't retiring; it was him.
But I just really get sad thinking about it, yeah. He's a great, great guy.

Q. If you could say one of the great things about Andre, he went from one phase to another. Just when you thought he was finished growing...
Is that something you would like to experience in your life as a person, to go through new phases in your own life?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. I think he's been through a lot. You know, there was a time when he wouldn't play Wimbledon because I guess he didn't like it. Then he went there and he won Wimbledon. I just will never forget that, and how cool it was.
You know, then he had this wrist injury and he couldn't play. You know, he was out. Then he was I remember he played challengers. You know, me, I'm going through my I went through my injuries and I was going through a lot of stuff. You know, it was really motivating, you know, to know that he was ranked, you know, so low and he was able to come back and be No. 1 in the world again and win Grand Slams, yeah.
I get emotional talking about it. I don't know what's wrong with me today (laughing).

Q. Did you have any chance to spend any one on one time with him?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Not too much. I mean, he's always a great guy. You see him around, he always goes out of his way to say hi. Here and there, there was a little one on one, but not like hours upon hours.

Q. Do you remember first meeting him, when you first met him?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't. I don't remember the first time.

Q. Not at Bollettieri?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't remember. I have no idea.

Q. With all you're doing, have you set any kind of timetable with your career and will injuries play a role in you staying or coming back to rehab and so forth?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I was thinking about that, about Andre, and I just thought, Wow, I don't know if I can play 21 US Opens. I think I'm at 8. So somewhere before 21 (laughing).

Q. Can you see yourself playing at 36 years old?
SERENA WILLIAMS: As long as that's before 21, yeah. I don't think I'm going to make it that far.

Q. Up until this point in the tournament, do you feel under the radar? It's a different tournament for you. You're certainly in the spotlight, but it's not the same spotlight as it's been in the past.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, really? I don't know. I'm just playing. I'm here to compete. Yeah, that's it.

Q. You've been very stoic about your draw, you've taken it in stride. Can you remember a tougher draw?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. I remember one year I played I don't know who I played in the first two rounds I played Kim Clijsters and I played Conchita Martinez and I played Monica Seles and I played Lindsay Davenport then I played Martina Hingis. That was, you know, not an easy draw at all.
So, tough. That was very tough, yeah.

Q. Does it help in a way with just the focus and intensity?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. Knowing that I've been through this before and, you know, I don't think any draw is tough. It's only for me as tough as you make it. I've played pretty much all these players before. I'm at the same level that they are playing wise. We're both gonna start at 0 0. At the end of the day, you have to be able to compete. Eventually, you're gonna play them anyway.
For me, I never really cared. It's like I said, as long as I don't have to play like a Roger Federer, I don't think I'll do too well, or like a Rafael Nadal. See, that's gonna serve as a problem to me. But other than that, I'm okay (smiling).

Q. The other day you talked about you and Venus going to New Orleans and doing a bunch of things. Did you see the Spike Lee documentary, and what are your comments on that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: You know what? I've been meaning to catch a get a copy of that. I haven't seen it yet, but I've been really interested in it, so I'm waiting for it.

Q. How do you feel about Venus not being here?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, she's here in spirit. I see her time to time in the stands, so, yeah. She's always given me advice.

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