Serena Williams – 29.05.2013

TENNIS – 2013 roland Garros: S.Williams d Garcia 6-1 6-2


Q.  Well done.  I wanted to ask you a question about American tennis.  It's
the anniversary year of Arthur Ashe winning the US Open and also Billie
Jean's Battle of the Sexes.  There is so much attention these days on Althea
Gibson.  Could you just talk a minute about what you thought about her and
her game and what she brought to the table?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, I think she was obviously a pioneer being black and
doing and going through everything that she had to go through to be able to
play tennis, and then to reading her book and understanding all the struggles
she went through even more is really inspiring.
Obviously both her and Arthur Ashe definitely trailblazed a lot of things.
 Yeah, so I don't think there is enough time anyone can have enough time to
just have as much praise about how much praise she deserves.

Q.  And just you say you train in clay, I remember you winning in Charleston,
but how did you manage to play so well in clay?  Patience?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I don't know.  I just -- I like it a lot.  I like to slide.
 I like to -- I think I just like -- I just like the surface.  Maybe that's
why.  I think if you like it, it helps.

Q.  When the match is going your way like this, do you use it to practice
some special things on your game, or not at all?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, today, no.  I felt like the match was -- I really
just was focused the whole time.  I really wanted to do well.  I really
wanted to just be serious and to, you know, get this win under my belt.
So definitely didn't try to practice anything.  I think my opponent was
playing really well.

Q. So I really want to talk personality types.  What's the difference between
Serena as Megan and Summer, and what's the difference between...
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Summer is my assistant who lives inside my body.  It's
weird.  She's very effective.  She's unbelievable.  She's really like
organized and she's amazing.  I love her.
I remember Megan.  I forgot about her.  I think she was a bad girl.  Yeah.
 Like kind of like just liked to have a lot of fun.  Haven't seen her in a
long time.

Q.  What's the difference between Megan and Psycho Serena?  Or who is Psycho
Serena?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I haven't seen her either in a while.  I have been trying
to keep that one under wraps.
Just -- I think that's a girl that gets really crazy on the tennis court and
just really fights really hard.  Just, you know, takes it a little too far
sometimes.

Q.  Just give us a hint, just a small hint of who Laquanda is.  Just tell us
a little bit about her.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Oh, she's not allowed to come out.  She's on probation.
 (Smiling.)
She's -- yeah.

Q.  Is there a little bit about her spice that you kind of like just now and
then, just a little bit?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  About what?

Q.  About her spice, about her nastiness.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  She's not nasty.  She's just real.  Keeps it real, keeps it
honest.  And you just definitely don't want to cross her.  Because you cross
her, then she snaps.  She's just a real person.

Q.  But you say hi to her now and then?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  No, I don't see her.  I don't speak to her very often.  I
try never to see her.  She's nuts.

Q.  When you're playing your best tennis, do you think your mind is clear or
do you have internal dialogue going?  What's the best scenario?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, for me there is always internal dialogue going.  I'm
always talking to myself or pumping myself up or telling myself to stay
relaxed or telling myself to do this or to do that.
I always have a lot of, you know, talk between, you know, I guess with myself
when I'm out there.

Q.  Pam Shriver has called you a great revenge player.  I'm wondering if you
agree with that, and, if so, why.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Of course, Doug, you'd bring that up.  (Smiling.)
I don't know.  I don't think about it.  I guess -- you know, for me, and I
think this goes for a lot of players, like when you lose a match, you know
that it turns something on, like, okay, I'm going to have to be ready for
this player or this player, it doesn't matter, because they have beaten me
before.
So you just know that you have to be a better player the next time if you can
be a better player, or at least do your best.
So that is -- that's all for me.  That's all.  I try.

Q.  When did you first study French?  And now I know you talk with Patrick
part of the day, he was saying, but do you take classes now or are you
studying it formally now or not?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  No, I studied French a long time ago.  My dream was always
to travel to Africa and do a lot of work there.  I learned that in Africa
they speak French is like one of the most popular languages.
So when I was really young I wanted to speak French.  So I studied, and I
think I was like in sixth grade when I first started.
So ever since then I have been like doing studies and studies, and when I was
in college last year I was going to take a French class, but they didn't
offer it for that particular semester.  But I haven't really done anything
formal in a while, but I have a long history with France and after I decided
that I wanted to go to Africa I decided that I wanted to win the French Open
and speak French for my acceptance speech.  So that kind of influenced me, as
well, with that language.

Q.  Is that still your plan?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Still my plan.  I have actually done it, but no one
remembers because it was -- it was before time.  It was BC.

Q.  In '02 you did it?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I did it for doubles.  I don't even remember if I did it
for '02, to be honest.