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WIMBLEDONJune 23, 2012Serena WilliamsLONDON, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: Questions for Serena. Q. After the disappointment of the French Open, what are your thoughts going into Wimbledon? SERENA WILLIAMS: Just to do the best that I can like in every tournament that I play, pretty much. Q. How would you describe the importance of confidence in your game and your level of confidence right now? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think confidence is really important in anything you do. Especially out here I think if you have a lot of confidence you can play really well. Q. And right now your level of confidence? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I wouldn't be here if I didn't feel confident. Q. How much added motivation does it give you, the French Open defeat? SERENA WILLIAMS: Whether I had won in Paris or lost like I did in the first round, I am always extremely motivated. If anything, you know, I think losing makes me even more motivated. Q. Does it make you even more dangerous as an opponent? SERENA WILLIAMS: I usually am. So we'll see. Q. I remember two or three years ago you said if Venus retired you might. Do you think if Venus did quit in the near future, would you continue to play? SERENA WILLIAMS: I have no intention of stopping, and I don't think she does either. Yeah so, we're definitely connected at the hip. I enjoy being out there on the court so much and I've been having so much fun, so it's been great. Q. Would you talk about the work you did with Patrick Mouratoglou? Somebody that you have added to your team? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you know, I love Paris and I spend a lot of time there. I have a place there. I've been kind of almost living there a lot. I found a great facility and I know Patrick and he's a great guy. I loved working with him while I was in Paris. You know, we're just taking everything day by day, you know. I'm not a fast mover or anything. My dad is always out there on the court, as well as my mom. My dad's my coach. He's had a great formula I think in the past decade or more, so... It works. Q. What do the Olympics and your participation in them mean to you? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I'm getting excited. Like it's almost here. It's getting closer and closer and I'm getting more excited. I'm not thinking about it yet, but I can feel ‑‑ like I was in London yesterday and I saw a guy with a USA jacket on. I was like, Oh, man, this is really happening. It's a great feeling, and I love that feeling. So I'm getting little butterflies in my stomach. Q. What has it meant to you throughout your career? SERENA WILLIAMS: It's been amazing. I really wish I could have went to Athens. I played two Olympics, which is pretty awesome, and you know, have two gold medals, which is even better. It's just an experience I never thought I would have. As a tennis player you get to play Grand Slams, which you get to play every other week it seems. You don't think about the Olympics. It's just an added bonus. Q. What would be the most exciting part of the Olympics for you? Would it be playing with Venus in doubles? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know why, but for whatever reason, whenever I lost in singles at the Olympics I wasn't even that disappointed. I was more wanting to play doubles. So that would be great if we had an opportunity to play doubles again. I guess we're defending doubles Olympic champions, if you put it that way, so... It's kind of cool. Q. As a four‑time champion at Wimbledon, what do you think it is about the Championship that suits your game? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I think it just goes back to confidence. I get confident out here. I have fun. I enjoy playing on this grass. I don't know. I just enjoy it. So maybe that's been able to help me. Q. You just said it comes back to confidence. What is it about being here that engenders a special confidence in you? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know, because every time I step on the practice court I'm like, I'm going to fall. But once I step on the match court I feel so good. I think it's just an amazing feeling. I just don't know if it's something that's innate that I can't explain. It's something about Wimbledon that I really enjoy and I really love. Q. How much does that overpower the experience you just had at the French Open, if it does? SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I actually love playing at Roland Garros because I love being in Paris. I mean, every experience to me is a learning experience. If you don't learn from it then it will keep happening, so... Q. You said you've got no thoughts of quitting at all. What is it that you love about the sport? Is it the competition, the feeling of being physically fit? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you know, I don't know. I love competing. I love the challenge. I love holding up trophies. So I guess if ever I feel that I can't do that, then maybe I won't play anymore. That's what I love. I love stepping out on that court, having that atmosphere, that moment. That moment is all about me. Maybe it's a little selfish, but I love that feeling. Q. Do you think it would be difficult to replace that when the day comes that you do finish playing? SERENA WILLIAMS: Probably, yeah. But you have to make adjustments, for sure. Who knows, maybe I'll become a rockstar (laughter). Q. Got plans in that direction? SERENA WILLIAMS: No chance (smiling). Q. You're featured in a campaign at the moment about keeping girls in sports. Obviously you're a fantastic role model. SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, it's so funny you mention that. I actually did something yesterday in the UK with helping girls stay in sport. Along with Nike, we gave them a bunch of Fuelbands, which I'm wearing a special one this year. It's really, really, really cool. They can count their calories, their fuel points. They get to stay active in a sport. I think it's important for girls. They drop out of sport at 15 or so. But it's important for them to stay active in sports. I'm able to have a lot of confidence because of sport, being active, being able to just feel good about myself. I think that message is what I was trying to relay, and it was a really important message for them to understand, as well. Q. (Question regarding message to young girls.) SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. It teaches you how to be a better individual. It teaches you how to take losses, turn them around in your life, take situations that aren't disadvantages, help them in your life, as well. There's so much you can learn. Even communication. If you're playing a team sport, you can start communicating better, run businesses better. It's a lot of stuff that I've been able to develop from it. Q. Speaking of team sports, what were your thoughts on the Heat and LeBron James? SERENA WILLIAMS: Congratulations to the Heat. I was happy for them. They deserved it. LeBron deserved it; Dwyane Wade deserved it. Gosh, Chris Bosh. I love those guys. They're amazing. We've brought another championship down to Miami. Now we've got to get the Dolphins to get one. So we're on the right track. Q. What do you like about them? SERENA WILLIAMS: They're just great guys. Good‑hearted individuals. Good family guys. Good people. And they're amazing athletes. Q. How healthy is it for the women's game to have a world No. 1 who is winning and has won multiple Grand Slams at the moment? You've had some thoughts on this issue in the past. SERENA WILLIAMS: I think she's doing great. She's won four in her career. That's an amazing event for her. Q. And it's important to have the No.1 who is winning Grand Slams, would you say? SERENA WILLIAMS: There's always that argument. I always think if you work hard, you get whatever's coming to you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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