Q. Jennifer said that if Lindsay and Martina had been playing consistently
this year that you guys might not be 1 and 2 right now. She also said that if
you played a number of the same tournaments, instead of your five and six a
year.

SERENA WILLIAMS: If we played?

Q. If you guys played more tournaments at the same time, that you played in
the same tournaments more than the four Slams and Miami and another one, that
it also might not have happened. I just want to hear some of your comments on
that.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't understand if we played more tournaments. I think if
we played more tournaments, then I'd have more points.

Q. The same ones, though.

SERENA WILLIAMS: If I played the tournaments that she played, I'd have more
tournaments on my list. Right now I only have 12 on my list. If I played like
maybe Stanford or San Diego, I'd have 14. And I'd probably have a few more
points. So I probably would even be maybe a little higher ranked than what I
am now. If not, maybe closer to the goal.

Q. So you think it was pretty inevitable; having other elite players didn't
affect it whatsoever?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I think Lindsay was definitely playing some
great tennis. You know, I really enjoy watching Lindsay play. It's really
going to be good to see her come back again. You have to take your
opportunities when time comes. You can't just sit back and let anything else
happen. And Jennifer's playing great right now also, so she's up there, too.
She's still No. 2. She'll be No. 3 next week. You know, that's about it.

Q. Back to the match today. You had no doubts at all, even though she climbed
back into the match the second set, that you might let it slip away?

SERENA WILLIAMS: In the match normally I don't think about winning or losing,
I just think about playing the shots and playing the points. I don't think
about anything else. I don't normally think about, "I don't care if it's
5-Love, she's not winning." That never crosses my mind.

Q. Your level was how good today, would you say?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I had 76 unforced errors. You tell me. That's not the best.
That's scary (cringing).

Q. Jennifer did make such comments that if "such and such" didn't happen that
maybe you and Venus would not be 1 and 2. Do you think in some ways players
in the locker room were hoping that you and Venus would not become 1 and 2?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know because I am not the other players in the
locker room. Unfortunately, I can't read minds, although at times I wish I
could. But I really can't, so I couldn't really tell you that. I mean, my
record against Martina Hingis was getting a little better. My record against
Lindsay, you know, is all right. We definitely had some tough matches. Hingis
just got injured just not too long ago. I've been injured in the beginning of
the year, so we can only imagine if I wasn't injured, if I had a chance to
play the Australian Open, and these other tournaments I signed up for, then
maybe things would be a little different also.

Q. And how much tougher a player is Serena at this point than she was a year
ago?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I don't know. I think maybe -- obviously, I'm a lot
better than I was last year. I just think it all boils down to a lot of
mental strength.

Q. What about personally? How have you sort of changed as you've gotten older
since maybe Wimbledon a couple years ago? You've grown more into your own
person.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I've grown into more of my own person. I've realized that
tennis isn't the end of everything. I think at this time I used to believe
that if I didn't win, the whole world would go down. That normally doesn't
happen, so I think by taking it lighter, it's kind of enabled me to do a bit
better.

Q. Will you prepare for this final together with your sister or alone?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, maybe. I mean, we have a hitting partner. Maybe she
wants to hit with him, maybe she doesn't. We normally hit together, so...

Q. You mentioned the 76 errors. I think you would probably agree that the
play today wasn't nearly the game you brought to Pierce the other day.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No.

Q. Yet you still beat the defending champion in the third set. How does that
affect your motivation and preparation for the rest of the year?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I just want to do better. I want to cut back on the
errors. I can't continue to make the errors like this. I just want to every
year ameliorate a part of my game.

Q. Back to the match again. I know it appeared there were a lot of errors,
but you guys had some very long physical points. Jennifer was saying that
every point seemed to be emotional, that there was a lot of passion in it.
When you were out there, did you feel like you were playing badly or did you
say, "I'm involved in a pretty extraordinary contest here"?

SERENA WILLIAMS: When I was out there, I definitely didn't feel like I was
playing the way I played against Mary. I think I played pretty good against
her. But you can't really think about that when you're out there. I just kept
thinking about, "Well, just make my shots." I didn't know I was making so
many errors, because normally one's not thinking about something like this.

Q. Like what she was saying, could you feel the emotion of the match in every
point?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Maybe, I guess. I don't know. This match is over. I'm trying
to get ready for the final. I've forgot about it.