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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPSFebruary 21, 2014Venus WilliamsDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES V. WILLIAMS/C. Wozniacki THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Very well played. VENUS WILLIAMS: Thank you. Q. Especially the first set. Very forceful. Well, and the second set. You pushed it right back. VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, Caroline is an intense competitor. She has been since the very first match I played her like 2007. Seven years ago. She's reached the pinnacle of the game, so she knows what she's doing. So it feels good to, you know, to be able to get that win today. Q. How is it to play all these back‑to‑back matches, one after the other, from a physical point of view? VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, back‑to‑back matches I don't think are easy for anyone, but for me in general I need back‑to‑back matches. I feel like I've just gotten so much better since my first round to now, just feeling comfortable on the court, feeling comfortable when I'm behind, feeling comfortable when I'm in the lead. So it reminds me a lot when I first came on tour, having to learn a lot, so I feel like I'm learning lessons all over again. Q. I'm sure it was important to come back from Love‑40 late in that second set? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, the game is not over. That's the wonderful part of tennis is there is no clock. You can keep going till midnight. We could postpone the match till tomorrow. There is no clock, so you can't give up those service games. 5‑2 is so much better than 4‑3 against a player like Caroline. Q. Can we work on the premise that Serena is going to win? What's it going to be like for you two in a final again? VENUS WILLIAMS: I think it will be wonderful for us to walk in the court in the finals again like we did, you know, the first time so many years ago. I haven't been able to hold my side of the bargain these last few years. You know, obviously no fault of my own, but it's great for me to be able to be able to wait in the final for her and for her to get there. Then we will just compete for the title, you know, assuming that she wins, which obviously she's the favorite. Q. You seemed really calm on court throughout the week, knowing just when to attack and when to wait. Do you think that's been key for you throughout the week, just being really calm? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think so. I think sometimes a little too calm. I have like a little bit of a loose point. Just trying to play within myself, I think, keep my errors down and not try to be the hero on every single point. Sometimes you have to be the sidekick. Q. Sisters don't like playing each other, but are you comfortable playing Serena? You have done it now so many times. VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, especially now. I'm extremely happy to be able to play her. We just haven't been able to in so long in a final. So for us now, like to be able to play, I think it would be awesome. Q. Maybe Auckland, but when is the last time you really felt like day in, day out, you were playing at this type of level? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I'm definitely playing better than Auckland, I mean, even in Tokyo I was having a hard time stringing together four good points. It was just inconsistency. You have to go through it. I had a lot of tough losses, you know, and I just realized I had to go through it. I felt like every time I got better. Even if I didn't necessarily get the result I wanted, I realized I am getting better. So for me ‑‑I mean, for every player, you just have to keep stepping to the line and believing in yourself. Q. Is the preparation for a Williams final different to preparations against other players? VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don't think so (smiling). You have to bring your best game obviously against Serena, and hopefully she feels the same against me. That would be great, too. But you've got to bring your best game no matter who you play. You've got to, you know, be you. You can't go out there and try to be somebody else. That's what I'll do is, obviously if I play Serena, try to bring my personal best. Q. Just in case it happens, how about Alize? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, you know, I think we played a year ago in the Australian. She's been consistently I think in the top 30, and that's not easy to do. There are so many good players now, so she knows what it takes to win matches and she's had big wins. So if I play her, I know I will have to be ready, as well. Q. You say you haven't been able to hold your end up of the bargain against Serena in recent years. VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I didn't say that. I said that I haven't been able to hold up my end of the bargain to get into any of the finals, and I said it was no fault of my own. Q. You're on a 14‑match winning streak here, and you're on course to be a three‑time champion. I mean, odds are pretty good in your favor now whoever you face in the final. It's a good place for you. You're in a good space. VENUS WILLIAMS: That's so sweet. Thank you (Laughter). That's a great way to think about it. I feel good. I have earned every win this week, and in the finals I have to earn that one no matter who I play. It's not like I'm going to step out there and think, you know, that I've got the momentum or anything. I've got to create what's going to happen on the court. That's what I'm going to look to do. Q. What's the actual role of David? Like your parents aren't here. Is he assumed being the coach here as opposed to hitting partner? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. He helps with everything. That pretty much sums it up. Q. What is it about this place? I remember your moving speech about Shahar Peer a few years ago. Does  this place really bring the best out of you, and why is that? VENUS WILLIAMS: I was thinking about that the other day. Obviously when I come here I have a lot of memories. I just applaud her courage really just from her shoes just being able to come here and stay focused and perform so well. I just have so much admiration for her, really. That's not easy. A lot of mental strength, true character, and a great player. Q. If you are to play Serena tomorrow, on a day when you're playing her in a final, do you guys hang out until the very last minute before going to the court? Do you eat together? VENUS WILLIAMS: Everybody asks that. It's not a mystery. We just prepare whatever way we have been doing before. Whatever that is, then we just do that. That's all. Q. What's on your schedule? You're going to Miami? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, Miami, Charleston. Fed Cup I will probably play. I'm not sure. I think it might be during tournament week, but I'm very confused about the calendar. Q. I think it's the 19th. VENUS WILLIAMS: I might be playing a tournament that week. If I am, I won't be able to go. I would absolutely love to be able to play Fed Cup. I wanted to play this time but it was impossible. I needed to play ‑‑ you know, I needed to play these tournaments so I could get better, basically. I really wanted to play the tie in Cleveland but just wasn't able. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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