AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2001

Serena Williams

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

THE MODERATOR: First question for Serena, please.

Q. How do you think you hit them?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I hit them a little better. I was a -- a little better. Not
quite satisfied, where I want to be, but it's looking a little better. I
think my strategy overall was more than my hitting.

Q. Still feeling a little bit rusty because of the off season?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I am. But you know, when the big match comes, when it
comes down to a point where you need it, I just really don't feel rusty
anymore. I feel like I'm in there. That's what I need to feel.

Q. Looks like you've got a very tough road to go here. To what extent do you
pay attention to the draw?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't even know who I'll play next. I'll look tomorrow to
see who I'll play. Honestly, everyone is tough whether it's the top player or
the lower-ranked player, because everyone plays and they want to win. And now
there's a lot of young kids coming up and everybody is out to win and do
their best. Why not?

Q. You're not one to look at the draw at the start of the tournament?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not really. Not at all. Not at all. I just play it as it
comes. You know what, in the end, I'm not the type of player that, you know,
looks at, "Okay, I'm going to hit here," because in the end I'm just going to
end up playing my game.

Q. Selena Roberts from New York. When you were attending classes in the fall,
did you like having that time to yourself? Getting away, was that good for
you even though now maybe you're a little rusty?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was good to get away. But I had a better schedule
this year with my classes, they only went Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. My
Wednesday only went late afternoon so I had a chance to practice a lot.
Friday I ended in the morning, so I had a much better schedule. So I was able
to get a lot of time in. I just, you know, am a little rusty from match play
basically. I've been practicing on a new game. I'm trying to work on it, work
on it. It's getting better. It's just getting some matches.

Q. New stuff you said? What kind of new stuff are you trying to work on?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I'm just working on a new game. I'm trying to change and
just play -- become a new player with just a new look.

Q. John Hogan from the Australian. What's prompted you to change, look for
something else in your game?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I think every year you have to go out and improve
because there's a lot of players on the Tour that are improving. There's a
lot of young people coming up that really have nothing to lose. I know when I
was coming up, I just played my heart out and that's what a lot of people are
doing now. So I know for sure that I'm going to go out there and try to
improve and get just a different look so they think -- they think they know
my game but they really won't basically.

Q. What elements are you trying to change particularly?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't really like to talk about what I'm trying to change.
I just think we should watch and see.

Q. (Inaudible) is that part of the equation, part of what you want to do more
on?

SERENA WILLIAMS: For sure.

Q. You're actually going to play Tamarine Tanasugarn next. You played her a
couple times last year. Do you remember those matches?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I've played her more than anyone else on the Tour
now. I've played Martina, I think, seven times. Yeah, I guess not. But I've
played -- I've played her a few times. I know her game pretty well. She's
that type of player, last time we played we had a pretty good match. You
never know what people are thinking. She's in the third round of a Grand Slam
so she's probably really ready to, you know, play Serena. I never
underestimate my opponent.