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U.S. OPENAugust 30, 2012Serena WilliamsNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK S. WILLIAMS/M. Martinez Sanchez THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How is the ankle? Can you say what happened yesterday? SERENA WILLIAMS: I was running for a shot and rolled it. Story of my ankle life. But it was fine. I did a lot of ice and Kinesio tape, compression to keep the swelling out. I rolled it in Australia, so I was a little nervous, but it's fine. Q. Can you speak to Andy Roddick's retirement. SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, he told me a while ago, last year, that this would be it. He told me again. I was at his house in Austin at the end of the year. You know, we were talking about it. You know, I was just thinking, Change your mind, Andy, change your mind. But I guess he didn't, so... Q. Did you believe him when he told you? SERENA WILLIAMS: I did. When you don't want to go out there and do the work to get ready and preparation, it's tough, you know, so... Really sad. Q. You two have taken fairly parallel paths. Talk about what it's been like sharing that journey with Andy. SERENA WILLIAMS: It's been great. Ever since I've been on tour, it feels like Andy has been there, at least for the most part of it. So many people retiring so far this year. You know, Andy's been great. He's been great for American men's tennis, great for the US Open, doing so much, playing so well so often, just being such a great player. A great attitude, incredibly fun to watch. You know, I know a lot of people look up to Andy Roddick, That's who I want to be like. It's very incredibly, incredibly, incredibly sad for me to lose a friend on tour that I look forward to seeing every Grand Slam and every shared tournament. It's going to be hard. Q. There's been a lot of talk about the decline of American tennis‑‑ especially on the men's side. SERENA WILLIAMS: I was about to say... Q. Do you think people have taken what Andy has accomplished for granted? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I think Andy has accomplished a lot. He's been to the Wimbledon final I think it was three years in a row. Almost won one. Was so close. Literally a point away. But he's done so much for American tennis, getting so many viewers. I see players that play on the men's tour, serve just like him. Starting the whole trend of big serve, big serve, you think of Andy Roddick. Q. I heard you say after the match you're not even thinking about retiring. SERENA WILLIAMS: No, no, no. Q. Has Clijsters and Roddick retiring put it in your head? SERENA WILLIAMS: 20, 30 years (smiling). No, it makes me want to stay more. I mean, losing Kim was so hard. I saw her yesterday. I just hugged her. My eyes got watery. I really like her. She's a great person. I didn't expect that reaction, but she definitely will be missed on tour. I didn't realize how much until yesterday. Andy as well. It doesn't make me say, Oh, I should retire. No, I wouldn't have anything to do. Q. You expressed a lot of emotion, particularly in the second set. It seemed you were expressing what looked like frustration. Even in a moment that was positive, it looked like you were expressing something negative. SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was one of those days. You haven't seen me play a lot of matches maybe. I wasn't really happy with the way I was playing. Yeah, I just wasn't happy out there today in general. I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, yeah. Q. Been a long time since the braids and the beads.  You and your sister were responsible for a distinctive look as far as tennis style. How much are you concerned with being an ambassador for that? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think me and Venus really started amazing style in tennis, especially Venus when she first came out. I remember she played here in '98. She had these seven fabulous dresses, which was really, really innovative, super cool, crazy cut‑outs. It all began there. Of course, I followed suit and definitely came out with some fun outfits myself. Yeah, we love fashion. Q. What color do you call that pink today? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I always get it wrong. Berry, cherry. Cherry volt or something like that. Q. When talking about Nike, we have to talk about Michael Jordan, his success even after he left the game. Do you have a designer in specific that you work with? SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, designers are in and out nowadays. It's hard. Every designer is in a new job. It's hard to get a lot of consistency. One year I'm working with one designer; the next year I'm working with a different designer. There's no one in particular. Q. How much are you involved in the process of design? SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm pretty involved, especially nowadays. I was really involved in the beginning. Slacked off. Now I'm really involved again, down to the fabrics that I wear. You know, I love design. I'm a hundred percent into it. Q. When was the last time you played on the grandstand court and how did it feel to be out there with your sister? SERENA WILLIAMS: Last time I played doubles here was the last time I played on that court. Boy, they get packed when we play out there. It's awesome to have so many fans here at the US Open. It really makes us feel special. I like that court. It's not as windy as Arthur Ashe. Oh, my gosh. Q. You've been asked about Kim and Andy leaving. What is your take on Sloane? SERENA WILLIAMS: She's great and phenomenal. She's been playing well. She's a great player. I think she's a great American, just a great player. She has so much potential. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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