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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 17, 2013Serena WilliamsMELBOURNE, VICTORIA S. WILLIAMS/G. Muguruza THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Did you end up getting an MRI on the ankle? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I didn't get an MRI. Q. On the lip? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I just busted it, busted it wide open. That's so inappropriate. (Laughter.) Q.Has that ever happened to you before, taking your own racquet to the face? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think it happens to everyone, but I have never busted it wide open like that. So, yeah, I was like, Oh, no. I can't have a tooth fall out. That would be horrible. Q. Do you feel like you're having some hard luck here in Australia? SERENA WILLIAMS: Right? I'm on the up and up, I feel. It can only get better from here. Q. Did you have any problem with the ankle at all? SERENA WILLIAMS: I didn't feel anything today. Obviously when you go out to play you're heavy on adrenaline and you're really pumped up. Usually I feel injuries after the match, but so far, so good. I felt pretty, much better than I ever dreamed of expecting to feel. Q. When you had that hit yesterday indoors, was there much discomfort then at all? SERENA WILLIAMS: There was definitely a discomfort. So I woke up this morning and I was really shocked that I didn't have as much. So I think the hit helped, though, but it was definitely not comfortable at all. Q. Are you having to take pain relief? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I am. But I feel everybody in the tournament probably is on some sort of pain relief. Q. Tablets or injections? SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, no, I don't do injections. Just tablets. Q. When you said busted open, did you bleed? SERENA WILLIAMS: Busted wide open. (Laughter.) Q.Wide open? SERENA WILLIAMS: And it runs together like busted wide open. Q. Hashtag. SERENA WILLIAMS: Thank you. Q. Did you actually draw blood from the upper lip? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I did. But it's okay. It's a war wound. Q. What kind of shot was it? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know why my racquet was even in my face. I mean, it's like I have been playing tennis far too long to hit myself. I think I was hitting a forehand, and (Demonstrating). I'm like, come on. Like, Serena, pull yourself together here, you know. Q. Looked like you were moving a lot better in the second set. Was the ankle warming up, do you think? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think she moved me more in the second set, so I was able to test it more. I was pretty confident. Like I said, I didn't feel any pain, so I was really confident with moving. I think the mental is the most important part. Q. Was it 128 miles an hour on the last one? SERENA WILLIAMS: It sure was. I did not expect that. I was like, Okay, I'm going to hit a big one, 200. It went 207. I was like, Wow. Q. Is that your fastest? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it's my fastest that went in. (Laughter.) I have hit some like 150s, but of course they're like to the sky. Q. I think the world record is 210. Is that something you'd like to... SERENA WILLIAMS: Is that Venus, 210? Q. I think it was Sabine Lisicki. SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, really? Q. That record, whatever it is, is that something you'd like to... SERENA WILLIAMS: I did not expect to hit 207; I was shooting for 200. So next time I will try I will try to hit it‑‑ I don't know, I don't think I can hit it that hard. I will just see. Q. There are a lot of teenagers through to the second round in the women's draw this year, more than last year, including one you played today. Do you think it's more difficult for players that young to break through and to win a Grand Slam like you and your sister did so young? SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't. I don't think so at all. I think it just depends. I think it will happen again probably soon maybe. I don't know. I think if the person is strong enough, tall enough, or short, you know, but if they're strong enough physically and mentally, I think it's completely possible. Q. You don't think the game has changed in any way like... SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it's changed, but when I was 17 I think I was playing pretty good tennis, as well as Hingis and the other teenagers that won. So I think the game is definitely physical. But I also think that there are some players, like Madison Keys is like 6'2", and she's very strong and she's only 17. She has several years while she's still a teenager to win a Grand Slam. Q. How about really young, like the Hingis, Capriati young? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think that will be a little more tough, to be 16, 15. I think that... Q. Eligibility rules being what they are, too. SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, especially with that. I'm one to believe that nothing is impossible, so I think anything can happen. Q. And about your rival on the court today, you said that she has a bright future. Can you elaborate a little bit on her game? SERENA WILLIAMS: I thought she played really well. I actually thought she improved as the match went on. She was blasting balls for winners and she has a pretty big serve. I didn't know anything about her game, so it was one of those players I had to see in warmup and see in the first two games how she would play. But I thought she played really well, and she's only 19. I think she can do really well. Q. Speaking of young players, the Americans, you spent more time last year through your Fed Cup and Olympic duties with them. Do you feel like you got to know them better in the last 12 months? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I feel like I know them pretty well. I'm really happy that the American ladies are really stepping up and doing pretty good. Q. Jamie Hamilton has Azarenka next. How well do you know her? SERENA WILLIAMS: I know Jamie. She was my hitting partner in Fed Cup when we played in Ukraine. So she's playing really well. I think she has a lot of potential, and I think she sees that she does now, and so she's playing better. Q. The top 4 in the men's are obviously well talked about, but do you think you top three women having won majors and that sort of thing are starting to pull away from the pack in the same way the four guys have in the men's? SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I don't know. I think that, you know, myself and Victoria and, you know, Maria as well, definitely we have won the most ‑ the past four slams ‑ so I guess if anything, it's more consistency, which I assume, but we will see what happens. Q. You play Ayumi Morita next. Have you played her much or know much about her? SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I haven't played her before, I don't think. We'll see. Q. She bowed out last year in the same round, in the third round. Do you think she will come back with a bit of vengeance trying to get through to the fourth round and put up a tough fight against you? SERENA WILLIAMS: Who do I play? Q. Morita from Japan. SERENA WILLIAMS: I have never played her, actually. Actually, I have played her in doubles. She's a really good player. You know, I bowed out in the fourth round, so I'm trying to take it a step above that myself. Q. You have another match later today. What are the challenges of having two matches today when you're still trying to get an injury back to 100%? SERENA WILLIAMS: As of now, I feel good. I think the challenge is just to go out there and stay focused and do the best I can. But other than that, I feel I will be fine. I have done this more times than the average person, so I should be okay. Q. What's the treatment plan? More icing, more massage? What do you do? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, just lots of ice, lots of massage, and just lots of positive thinking, I guess. Q. Do you have any exercises or routines to help you stay focused? SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I have none. I just ‑‑I don't have any tricks or tips. I think it's something that you have to work on, but I don't know how. I don't necessarily work on staying focused. Q. Did you catch up with The Hobbit yet? SERENA WILLIAMS: I did. I have seen it twice. I don't understand if there is going to be two movies or three movies. Q. Three. SERENA WILLIAMS: There is going to three movies. I might need to read the book again. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Q. Venus and Maria is obviously a big one tomorrow. How do you see that panning out? SERENA WILLIAMS: It will be a big match. I think Venus obviously has nothing to lose, and she will play great tennis. She will do her best. Q. You have a better head‑to‑head against Maria than pretty much anybody else on tour. Are you giving Venus any specific tips on what to do tomorrow night? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, obviously I will, but, you know, at the end of the day, she will be fine. She's been playing tennis a really long time and she's a fabulous player. She will do good. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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