AUSTRALIAN OPEN


January 29, 2010


Serena Williams

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You were pretty tired when you came in here yesterday. Today you seem a
little more refreshed and happier. Talk about your feelings now going into
tomorrow.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I'm definitely more upbeat. Yesterday I wasn't really
upbeat. But, um, it always feels good to be that I'm gonna go home with at
least one title, so...
I really just get up for doubles. It makes me happy.

Q. So you had a bandage on your wrist today. You trying to do the whole body?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I fell the other day a couple times in my match, so, yeah,
I'm just adding to the list.

Q. You almost run out of tape at this point?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, we have. (Laughing.) We've run out of tape and been
borrowing tape from everyone. It's quite hilarious, though. I just keep
laughing and like, Okay, I need to sit around a certain amount of time to get
taped.

Q. Justine says this is gonna a be really mental battle. You've both been
there, done that. Do you agree with that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. I think that's a really good point. It
definitely will be mental and who wants it more and wants the title more and
who' willing to go the extra step.
I think we both want it, you know. But we'll just see who's playing better
tomorrow.

Q. How hungry are you?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm literally hungry right now. I definitely feel like I am
hungry. I have a chance to tie Billie, Billie Jean, which would be great. But
at the end of the day I don't really think about that, because I'm okay with
where I'm at, too.

Q. Now that the doubles is done and dusted, how will you focus on tomorrow
and the lead-up? How will you approach it?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I'm a little bit bummed out that the doubles is over.
At least I won't have a match on Sunday, because I've played every day. It's
been pretty intense.
So I'm looking forward to having that day off and just relaxing. I'm getting
geared up. I feel like I have one more match to go and that's it, I'm done,
the tournament is over, and I'm off to something new.

Q. Did you feel you're peaking at the right time, that the tournament has
gone the way you wanted it to?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I'm still here, and I feel like I really, really
peaked against Sam Stosur, which was -- I played amazing. Hopefully I'll be
able to pull that tennis out again.

Q. Do you and Billie Jean kid each other at all about the record?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, no, not at all. We don't even talk about that. We talk
about Team Tennis, we talk about, you know, just so many different things.
I've never brought up the record with her.
Because for me, it's not that huge of a deal. I mean, it'll be cool, but, you
know, at the end of the day, I'm just happy and blessed to still be in the
tournament and to still be, you know, physically able to play tennis
altogether.
So that's all I think about.

Q. Would you consider this a defining match for you?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, I haven't thought about that at all. I think if you --
just thinking about it now, I think it'll be a defining match for both of us.
For me, I feel like I have no pressure. You know, I'm still here and I'm
still alive, and that's anything less of a miracle. So I feel good.

Q. Is there something to be said for playing your great rivals in Grand Slam
finals?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, absolutely. I think it'll be fun. I think that just says
it all.

End of FastScripts