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WIMBLEDON

June 29, 2009

Serena Williams

LONDON, ENGLAND

S. WILLIAMS/D. Hantuchova
6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Serena Williams for you.

Q. Pretty workmanlike today?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. I was definitely out there not to stay out too long and do just the best I could do, whether it was win or lose.

Q. How was the heat?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm a Florida girl, so I was totally fine with the heat.

Q. Is the court playing a little quicker because of that, do you think?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, I think it would play a little quicker. But grass is always really fast for me, so it was pretty much the same.

Q. How would you assess your performance overall? You haven't dropped a set yet in four matches. Pretty decent, huh?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I've been solid. I definitely have been solid and playing, uhm, consistent. Obviously there's always room for improvement in my game.
Definitely felt like I could have served a little better today. You know, just going with that.

Q. So you got a big one coming up. She beat you in Miami. You got her in Australia. Azarenka is a pretty big fighter. Talk about the challenge she presents.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, she's obviously a good player and she's really young. She has, you know, nothing to lose. This is Wimbledon. You know, I feel the same way. It will be a really good match.

Q. Does she remind you at all of yourself? She's pretty fearless, she'll go for her shots. Is there a little bit of you in her?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, I never really thought about that actually, so...

Q. Think about it now.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, I don't know. I would have to think about it and look at her game more.

Q. Do you like playing those young up-and-comers, the really good ones who want it maybe as badly as you did at your age?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. It's always fun to play anyone. When you're playing the girls who are really young, they really want it, as bad as I still want it. It always makes for a good fight.

Q. Is it better to be young and hungry or a little more elderly and savvy?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Be careful (smiling).

Q. I was trying to be careful.
SERENA WILLIAMS: We don't want a scuffle.
It's definitely better. I think it was great when I was 19, 20. I think I'm still in a great position 'cause I'm really young in life. I feel really young out there on the court still, so I'm excited.

Q. You came in with a stat sheet. What are the one or two most important stats that you look at after a match?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I haven't been able to look at it yet. I just wanted to see how long I was out there. It was less than an hour.

Q. General perspective?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Unforced errors, first-serve percentage. Mostly unforced errors, because that's not fun to hit a lot of errors.

Q. The other day Andy Roddick said the most irrelevant stat was the percentage you have correct on your challenges. What do you think the most irrelevant stat in tennis is?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I guess I'd agree with Andy. Although I'm pretty good in my percentage, so I think it is pretty relevant.

Q. When you're on a roll like you were from the end of the first set through the start of the second today, are you aware you won X number of points in a row? Is there a feeling that you might not lose another point the way you were playing?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I was aware of that today. Usually I'm never aware of that. I just thought, Okay, I broke at 40-Love; I held at 40-Love. I thought, Hmm, did I win the first set when it was over. I don't know, I was thinking, How many points did I win?
I was aware for the first time I think in my career that I was on a winning streak.

Q. Once you've become aware of that, are you thinking, Let's see how long I can keep this going?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't like to be aware of it because it's like, okay, I don't want to miss. I think I get a little tight. So, you know, I just not -- it was good when I lost a point, because it just immediately left my mind.

Q. You're three rounds from winning this thing. This is usually the lock-in time for Serena Williams. Do you feel that? Do you feel you're gonna step it up here or that you need to? What goes through your mind at this late stage of a slam?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I feel like I definitely need to step it up, play better, really start playing some great tennis, or go home. And I don't want to go home, so I feel like, you know, I'm just getting more serious.

Q. Sounds like you're not really that pleased with how you've played so far.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, uhm, like I said, I feel like I can play better. I know I can. So the fact that I actually know I can get to a higher level is good for me.

Q. Do you need someone to push you to find that next gear?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Maybe I just need an espresso.

Q. There's been some controversy about the Wimbledon playing committee perhaps picking players for their looks rather than their tennis talent on Centre Court. They are saying that good looks are a factor with who plays on Centre Court. What do you think about that as an extremely accomplished tennis player who should be on Centre Court?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I think Roger's hot, but he's married, so...

Q. What do you think about it in regards to the female tennis players, though?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I have no comment on that actually (smiling).

Q. Do you think it's sexist?
SERENA WILLIAMS: For why?

Q. To put good-looking female players on Centre Court, doesn't matter whether they're ranked 45th.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Like I said, I have no comment on that.

Q. Does this feel like the Williams sisters' tournament to lose? You have won seven of the last nine.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Definitely to lose. I feel like if I lose it on my racquet, if I'm not playing well, if I don't do the right things, I definitely lose it on my racquet.

Q. I'm sure you see your sister every day. Are you aware of her presence on the other side of the draw?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Am I? I was hitting with her the other day. She was beating me, so I was mad. I thought I was playing really well, so it was just like frustrated.

Q. Why is she so slow to adopt things like Twitter and Facebook?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, she's really artsy and into smart things like -- I don't know, she's into getting -- learning languages and getting degrees. I'm into Twitter, so... We're quite different, so...

Q. What's happening here? You said you were getting mad at her, admitting differences. Are we getting a differential between Serena and Venus that we didn't see before?
SERENA WILLIAMS: You said I was getting mad at her?

Q. You got mad at losing to her.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm always mad. You guys know I'm really bratty. This is nothing new, so...

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