BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL

January 3, 2013

Serena Williams

BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND

S. WILLIAMS/S. Stephens
6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  She pushed you a little bit, but you won the important points when you
needed to, no?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, she definitely pushed me.  I've always said she's a
really good player.  You have to expect that going up against what I would
consider a top player.

Q.  I guess you guys hadn't played before but had practiced a handful of
times.  Did she show you something you weren't expecting?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah.  I think she plays really well.  She's really calm,
something I never have been in my whole career.  But I think it shows a lot
of maturity.  I think she has really mature game.
Yeah, it's great.

Q.  I think you said on the court that one day she could be the best player
in the world.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah.

Q.  What do you think she needs to do to get to that point, whenever that
will be?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I don't know.  She's playing great.  Just be more
consistent, which she's already doing.  I think that's it.
Yeah, so I don't think it's that much.

Q.  Was that the kind of hit-out that you need before tomorrow's match with
Victoria?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  For sure.  I definitely want to thank her for giving me
such a great match, because I'm going up against another good player, great
player tomorrow, so I have to make sure I'm ready.
I've had some good matches this tournament, even though the scoreline in the
second match seemed easy.  It was a really good, intense match.  So it's been
intense.

Q.  Looked like at one point you were rubbing your calf.  Was it a cramp?
 Can you tell us about that?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, no, I don't know what it was.  To be honest, at my
age you never know.  Could have been a broken bone.  (Smiling.)  Just making
sure.  (Laughter.)  Arthritis.  (Laughter.)

Q.  But it feels all right now?  The calf is okay?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, feels fine.  Yeah.

Q.  Is it exciting to meet the top players for you?  What sort of emotions do
you go through when you know you're playing a top player in a big tournament?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I always feel like I have nothing to lose, especially going
against Victoria, who I think has been the most consistent player the past
year, last year.  She was most consistent, which is, I think, she's why she's
No. 1.
So, yeah, feel like I really have nothing to lose, nothing to prove, and I'll
just go out there and do the best I can.

Q.  I know you're being complimentary toward her, but I think you've won 35
of your last 36 matches, which is pretty consistent, too, no?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, but I also lost in the first round of a Grand Slam
and she didn't.  I think that's what really affected me.

Q.  You also beat her five times last year.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah?  Five?

Q.  Yeah.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, we played a lot last year.  I'm glad I was able to
come out with the win.
Come on, Matt.

Q.  Talk about the matchup a little bit.  She played you very tough at the US
Open.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, she's been playing better and better.  I saw her play
her match in the first round and I thought she played really well.  She's
moving really well.  I think it'll be a really good matchup.
Obviously with Melbourne just a little over a week away it's actually a good
match to see, Okay what am I going to do in potentially semifinals or finals
of Melbourne - if I make it that far -  and what do I need to do to improve
and make sure I am at the right level.
I think these matches always really help.

Q.  So how much fun was it to be in Mauritius?  First time for you, huh?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  It was fun.  You know, I went with the attitude that I was
going to wake up at 6:00 in the morning and practice and then have the rest
of the afternoon.
Obviously I didn't do that.  I woke up around 10:00 and I just had a late
practice and then I had the rest of the afternoon.  I don't know.  I always
have these big, grand goals and I never can stick to them.
I ended up being really afraid of everything.  I was afraid of the ocean.
 Everyone swam with the dolphins; I thought they would bite me, so I refused.
 I ended up barely being able to snorkel because I was afraid of the fish
that were this big, literally.
So, yeah, I don't know if that's for me.  I don't know.

Q.  You were doing karaoke with Pavlyuchenkova she said.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, I love singing with her.  It was fun.  We had some
great songs.  I love karaoke so much.

Q.  She said you guys were doing old songs she didn't know well.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  No.  That girl knew some old songs.  She knew Fame word for
word.  I was like, How in the world do you know Fame?  I didn't know Fame.  I
had to go back and learn it.  That was just last year I learned the lyrics.
 She knew them.  It was just really, really hilarious.

Q.  So Hingis can sing?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  She's a good singer.  She ended up being one of my favorite
people to duet with.  We're the same age so we wanted to sing all the same
songs.  I was like, Martina, do you want to sing this song?  She was a great
plus one.

Q.  Wow.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, shocking.

Q.  Absolutely.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Great karaoke buddy.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports