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WIMBLEDON

June 24, 2009

Serena Williams

LONDON, ENGLAND

S. WILLIAMS/J. Groth
6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Serena Williams for you.

Q. Got your G?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I had a G moment today, for sure (smiling).

Q. Are you satisfied with your game today, or could you have done more?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Today I thought I played really well. I knew she was gonna be tough, so I was like, Okay, I have to be ready for the match.

Q. So is there any room for improvement for the next one?
SERENA WILLIAMS: For me there's always room for improvement. Uhm, you know, I still think I could have returned better, came to the net a little bit more. That's exciting to think that I can do better.

Q. Were you aware before you went on court that Maria Sharapova had been knocked out?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I just found out not too long ago.

Q. And what is your opinion on that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, I really am really trying to be the best player that I can be in this tournament. You know, I'm not that player that wishes someone else loses and lost, so obviously I feel for her being injured.
I know how hard it is to come back. And, you know, I still -- she's playing really well. I think she'll be fine.

Q. Do you think people have an understanding of just how tough it is to come back from an injury and a layoff of several months, as you do?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think people, when you're in that position, you can kind of understand how much tougher it is, how much time it takes to actually get back to your top form and be in a position to compete with top players.

Q. So what are your observations, as you see how Maria has taken small steps to come back, and how tough is it to get back to a top level?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's definitely no easy feat. You have to really be focused, as she is. And I think she's doing everything right.

Q. Your sister obviously is going for her third in a row here. Plays grass wonderfully. You won here a couple times. Analyzing the game, why do you think she's doing so well, and why do you do so well on the hard courts?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. She has a great serve on grass, so obviously that helps. I should have won more than twice here, but I didn't. And hopefully I can rectify that this year.

Q. Wimbledon is so full of rules and all that kind of stuff. Maybe too many rules, a lot of people would say. The one thing I hear that's getting on your nerves this week is there's no eating allowed in the locker rooms. Why?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, you know, they said they voted on it. And I can understand. I just got confused as to why there are bananas and other stuff that you consume in the locker room, unless they found another way to consume it that I'm not aware of. I don't dare want to find out.

Q. What do you do with all the bananas and Kit Kats that you get?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't eat them. They say, Don't eat 'em in the locker room. So I'm just confused (laughter).

Q. Are you allowed to drink water in the locker room?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. They have water in there, so... I mean, I've been drinking in the locker room. Maybe I shouldn't.

Q. What happens if you feel naughty and have a Kit Kat anyway in the locker room?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, they're there, so I don't understand why they're there. You know, uhm, I don't eat in the locker room. They told me not to eat. I try to abide by the rules.
I'm just confused as to why do you supply something you consume if there's a sign that says, No consuming.

Q. Last year you were playing in the Olympics. Latest reports revealed that the air quality in the Beijing Olympics were two or three times worse than those in recent Olympic cities. You were playing there. Did you feel that the air caused you any problem?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, you know, I think the Olympics was a wonderful event. I felt really honored to be part of the Olympics, especially in Beijing, where -- I've never been to an Olympics that was more put on in a better way. And to be part of such a fantastic Olympics was amazing for me.

Q. So you think it's safe for athletes to go there and play there?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. I was safe there. I know a lot of other people were, as well. It was great.

Q. Did you have any trouble with the surface today? You seemed to stumble once or twice. Didn't seem too happy with the grass around the baseline.
SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I've been slipping a little bit in my match. But I think everyone out there is stumbling, so it's just important to just do the best.

Q. Is the surface any different from previous years?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, I don't think it's different. I think it's, you know, grass. I don't know how much different it can get. It could be wrong, though.
I'm obviously wrong about consuming, so I could be wrong about the grass (laughter).

Q. I've read that Venus has given you a book on script writing. Will you be at the Emmys or Oscars next year?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm writing my script. You'll be excited to know I wrote three parts already. I call it 'my treatment,' so I'm working on my treatment now.
I was going to do it yesterday, but I started watching Dexter and I got a little sidetracked. You know what, today's a good day. I can write. I was really in the mood yesterday. For me it's really about being in the mood and how I'm feeling.

Q. What's the subject? Is it for TV or a movie?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's definitely for TV. I don't know how good I would be at writing a movie. But I just love to write. Hopefully it will be good.

Q. If you were writing a movie on Serena Williams, what would be the opening scene of that movie?
SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, there are definitely so many options. I don't know. You know, I think I would open a scene, you know, holding a championship, and then I would rewind time. I think those stories are told well.

Q. What is the subject matter of the TV script that you're writing?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, it's a mixture between some of my favorite shows, like Desperate Housewives, and Sex and the City, and actually Family Guy. It's kind of those put together in one, if you can imagine.

Q. Can I ask whether or not you've consulted anybody that is a professional script writer that you much admire?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No. But I have my agent with William Morris Agency. This is a real blessing. What I was told to do is just kind of write down my ideas.
See, I've always been a writer, like a storyteller writer, not exactly a script writer. That's what I was told to do, just write my story, you know, just the first episode, just to get them the idea.
And then I would turn it in and someone will put it into treatment format. So that way they'll put it into a script, but it would be my writing.

Q. Do you remember when you first dreamed of holding up a championship trophy?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I just remember, you know, me and my dad and Venus, we would all -- my dad would always say, Which Grand Slam do you want to win? And Venus always said Wimbledon, ironically enough, and I always said the US Open. So that's kind of like my first memory.

Q. A lot of other girls have reached No. 1 in the world and suffered kind of a burnout. It's not happening to you and your sister, so there's obviously something that your father or yourself do better. What would you attribute to your longevity?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. We really enjoy every moment. And a lot of these ladies that are, you know, getting allegedly burned out have had really long careers. Just because they got to the top, you know, they were on tour for a really long time, 10 years, which is really a long time. I don't think people really see how long they've been around.

Q. I know for Wimbledon without the Williams sister is like strawberries without cream. What do you think if there were no Williams sisters anymore at Wimbledon? Do you think it would be less of an exciting place?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It would be flattering for people to say it's not as exciting. And if people could think that, that would really make me feel really good.
But I don't know right now. Wimbledon and Williams are here, and we want to be here this year, next year, and years to come.

Q. Did you have a role in designing your outfit on court?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, no, I'm a designer as well in the little spare time that I have left. Uhm, so, you know, we worked on our designs. We're already working on designs for '11.

Q. What do you think of Roger's outfit this year?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I haven't seen it. I think I'm the only person that hasn't seen it.

Q. Do you think it's odd sometimes with all your other interests and script writing and acting and things like that that you're able to come here and set tremendous competitive standards? If you were taken out of this tournament, people would be saying, Where is the standard being set? You must be proud of what you've achieved. Do you think it's a little odd you don't come under more pressure sometimes?
SERENA WILLIAMS: That I don't come under more pressure?

Q. That your position isn't challenged more consistently. We assume you will be the mark. No one has really challenged you in quite a long time.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I don't really think about it. I'm just here to do what I think I do best, and that's play tennis. I enjoy every moment being out on the court. I actually enjoy the competition more than anything.
I mean, if I'm not feeling well when I step out there, and I'm in the heat of the moment, especially in a Grand Slam, the competition is really what keeps me motivated.

Q. I applaud your mom and dad, how they've let both you and your sister be yourself. I believe that's one of the reasons why you're able to play tennis well and do other things well. I only wish all the parents in the world could be like your mom and dad were to both you and your sister.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Thank you.

Q. Can you describe your motivation to write an autobiography and what the process has been like for you?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's been an interesting process. Again, I love writing. And, uhm, it was just the right time. It was something I actually was working on for at least three years. And, uhm, it just all came together within the last year.

Q. Who was the ghost writer?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Dan Paisner.

Q. Can you comment on Larry Scott. He's leaving at the end of the week. His tenure.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Ten years. Was it ten years already?

Q. His tenure.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, tenure.

End of FastScripts

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