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LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMESJuly 28, 2012Serena WilliamsLONDON, ENGLAND S. WILLIAMS/J. Jankovic THE MODERATOR: Questions for Serena Williams. Q. Serena, did you know that Michelle Obama was going to be here? How did you feel when you saw her in the stands? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, I did know Michelle would be here. And, you know, they asked me did I mind if she sat in the family box. I was like, Of course, not. Please, it would be my honor. I mean, I love Michelle. So it was good. Q. You gave her a little thumbs up at the end there. SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I gave her a thumbs up just to acknowledge that I knew she was here. Obviously it was impossible not to see her, but it was cool. Q. How did you feel you played? SERENA WILLIAMS: I was a little nervous in the first set. But I think once I got relaxed, I played a little better. I actually think I played solid. I felt the ball well. I missed a few shots, but at least I was going forward. Q. Following up on Michelle Obama, is she here with Team USA in any official capacity? SERENA WILLIAMS: You would have to ask her to be honest. I don't know. Q. I noticed that you slipped at some point and then Jelena slipped on the same area. Can you talk about the court conditions at all, how that felt. SERENA WILLIAMS: I think the grass is a wee bit slippery. But, you know, just got to deal with it, so... Make sure I'm really stretched out before I go out my next round, get ready to slip and slide, whatever it takes. Q. Which is the biggest difference that you can see compared to the classic Wimbledon about the atmosphere, the colors, all the situation? What is really different? SERENA WILLIAMS: The crowd. I mean, Wimbledon is so quiet. You know, you don't hear much talking. But here you do hear talking. It's a really big crowd. It's exciting. You know, you really get to see the fans and you see flags and you see whoever you're playing, it's awesome. Q. Can you talk a bit about what it means to be an Olympian rather than a tennis player. SERENA WILLIAMS: It's pretty cool being an Olympian. It's a great feeling. For me, being a tennis player is my dream. But being an Olympian is something I never dreamed up. Growing up, you see people like Michael Johnson, Dominique Dawes, people that do so great at the Olympics. You know, tennis isn't the premiere Olympic sport, you know. It's cool to be a part of such great athletes. Q. You were talking about Michelle Obama. You keep saying 'Michelle.' Do you know her at all? SERENA WILLIAMS: Am I being rude? Mrs.Obama? She's so cool. I met her several, several times. I feel comfortable with saying 'Michelle.' And I think she wants the people to feel that way as well. That's what is so great about that whole family, you can feel comfortable. They'll go to a basketball game or to the tennis. It's just unheard of, for me. Q. Being in Wimbledon, does it feel weird to walk around the same kind of venue and see it in this kind of setting? SERENA WILLIAMS: It's definitely weird, definitely different. I have to say I love it. I absolutely love being here because I love playing Wimbledon. But this atmosphere I didn't expect. It's bananas, and I love it. Q. Do you think it would be a good idea for the next Wimbledon to maybe take onboard some of this? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, no, no, no. You're getting crazy now. We need to keep Wimbledon the way it is, quiet, white clothes. It's different than any slam. If I want that feeling, I go play Roland Garros, Australia, or obviously New York. This is a special venue and a special feeling. Q. Do you think the Olympics has the ability to inspire kids in a way? SERENA WILLIAMS: It inspired me. Don't laugh. I wanted to be a gymnast because of the Olympics. Obviously that didn't work out. I was able to get a different sport, which worked out. I'm glad it did. But it inspired me to want to be a part of sport, watch sport, to do things, stuff like that. I think it's totally inspiring. Q. Do you think it's more powerful particularly for women? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think so. I mean, watching the opening ceremonies, seeing the first woman participating from Saudi Arabia was amazing. How many more women, from her country in particular, are going to want to aspire to do that. Just in the United States, as well, seeing so many strong females from all the swimmers, the soccer team, myself, our whole U.S. female tennis team. It's great. Q. It's the difference between Wimbledon and all the others. You talked about the crowd, the courts. Were you surprised in a way that after three weeks they were still so good? SERENA WILLIAMS: No. We learned all about the special seeding and the germination. I don't know what they did to the grass, but they said it wouldn't be nearly as strong as normal, as it would at Wimbledon. It's going to wear out super fast. But I know the net didn't wear out, the area at the net didn't wear out so much. Maybe a lot of the players will start coming to the net this time. Q. In terms of security, do you think here there is a huge difference? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, there's so much security, it's unbelievable. Q. Do you like it better or less? SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, it's the Olympics, so you obviously want to have a lot of security. So it's good. Q. You mentioned tennis is not really the traditional Olympic sport. I assume if you had not won a Wimbledon or US Open, that would be a void in your professional career. The fact you haven't won a gold medal in singles, is that a void? SERENA WILLIAMS: No. Gold is gold, I have two of them. I honestly love those more than having won gold in singles because I was able to focus on doubles. Being on that stand with my sister, seeing that that's my best friend in the world, I wouldn't trade that for a singles. Q. You were not at the ceremonies last night, were you? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I had to play today. Q. Was it a difficult or painful decision? SERENA WILLIAMS: It was painful. My eyes were watering watching all the US Team. I was texting my friend. My eyes are watering. Is this pathetic or what? I really wanted to be there. I guess next time. Q. Question from Bulgaria. What is your relation with Grigor Dimitrov? What future do you see in him as a tennis player? SERENA WILLIAMS: Grigor I think is a wonderful player. I hit with him every now and then, and I hate it because I have absolutely no chance. So it's just like if his coach wants to hit, Do you want to hit with Grigor, I literally wanted to say no. One time at Wimbledon I said yeah. He is killing me. My confidence is ruined playing against him. He works with Patrick Mouratoglou. I hope I said that all right. I also work with Patrick. So we're really good friends, yeah. People always make a mountain out of a molehill. Q. Did Venus or any of your family members come with you to London? SERENA WILLIAMS: Venus is here. She's competing here. She's playing tomorrow. My mom is here. My sister is here. My nephew is here.  We have a strong contingency. Q. Before you said you wouldn't swap your gold medal in doubles for the one in singles. Do you think Federer thinks like you? SERENA WILLIAMS: Regardless, we both have gold medals. You can't discount gold. Let's face it, tennis players play to win Wimbledon. We play to win Australia. We play to win the US Open. The Olympics is a bonus. So sometimes you get the bonus, sometimes you don't. In my eyes, I've gotten a bonus, so... FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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