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SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 28, 2009

Serena Williams

DOHA, QATAR

S. WILLIAMS/V. Williams
5-7, 6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Serena, please.

Q. Dinara Safina is out. You're No. 1 again. You're almost in the semifinals. How do you feel?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, that's a lot to take in. I feel pretty good. I'm just a little tired because I've been playing so late every night.
But I'm feeling all right.

Q. Were you aware before you started that Safina was out of the tournament?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I just thought she was going to keep playing for the next day.

Q. And so the No. 1 spot was a surprise to you when you got off the court?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it definitely was. I didn't know. I just wanted to win so bad because I figured she was hurt and if I could just win a few matches, I could finish No. 1.
So I didn't know she pulled out. I just wanted to win.

Q. You are on the Fed Cup team and your sister is not. A bit surprising for us.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Is it?

Q. Yes. Especially after Monday, where Venus talked so enthusiastically about being in Italy to play the final.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I can't answer for her. I can only answer for me. We're just right now focused on this tournament and we're just taking everything a day at a time.

Q. Don't you think without Venus it will be a little bit more difficult, because the others are very young?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, Melanie Oudin is a great player, as well as Alexa Glatch. We have a great team. They got to the finals without us. I think Mary Joe Fernandez is doing a great job with the coaching. So something is going right.

Q. You played a tough game against Svetlana yesterday. Today you fought well against Venus. How far can you go in this tournament?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm hoping I can keep going. I have another match tomorrow. So we'll see.

Q. A bit of mixed feelings getting No. 1 and winning the match but beating your sister like that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. It was really, really close. It was almost three hours. It really could have went any way. In the third, at the end of the third, she just started playing great. I was just trying to do what I could do. I just kept saying, I want to end this year No. 1, so I better lift up the level of my game.

Q. Compared to the US Open, do you think your level is higher?
SERENA WILLIAMS: As of now, I don't even remember how I played at the Open. I don't remember who I played at the Open. So, yeah, I have a short-term memory.

Q. My opinion is you're playing much better here.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Really? That's very confidence-building for me. Thank you.

Q. You may have seen today talk about Andre Agassi's upcoming book where he apparently reveals that he took crystal meth in the 1990s. As someone who has known him for a long time, what was your reaction to that revelation?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't even know what crystal meth is, so, you know, that's what my reaction to it is.

Q. What about the fact that he apparently tested positive on a drug test in '97 but was let off by the ATP Tour after saying he took it by mistake? Are you surprised somebody can be let off that easily like that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Is that right?

Q. Yeah.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I haven't read anything about Andre Agassi's book. All I know is I have a book coming out. It's called On The Line (laughter).

Q. Hope there's no revelations like that in there.
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's nothing like that. It's an exciting story. I think you guys should all go get it and write about it.

End of FastScripts

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