Serena Williams – 02.06.2013

TENNIS – 2013 Roland Garros: S.Williams d Vinci 6-1 6-3


Q.  It was again a very solid performance.  How big is it for your confidence
to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in such fashion?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  It's good, definitely good.  Obviously I don't want to stop
at the quarters, but it's definitely good for my confidence to just keep
going and to be here at another quarterfinal.

Q.  What's harder, closing out a match or speaking French afterwards?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Definitely speaking French afterwards, for sure.

Q.  What happened in the beginning of the second set?  You looked frustrated.
 Did you get hurt?  Looked like you were almost crying.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Really?

Q.  Yes, totally unsettled, you were yelling at yourself even like on points
that weren't that big of a deal.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Oh, I don't know.  I was fine.  I'm totally fine.
I'm really intense.
Hmm.  Were you watching?

Q.  I was.  I was watching.  That's why I'm...
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I don't remember that at all.  That just goes to show you I
just want every point, and, yeah, I don't know.  I was just really intense.

Q.  Serena, how would you compare how you're playing now and the current
streak you're on to the best streaks that you have had in your career prior
to this?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, I think now it's definitely really consistent.  Every
match I'm really I think focused for the whole period of time, the whole time.
I think I just really -- I really want it, every match.

Q.  Can you talk about your game plan with Vinci, what you thought the
smartest thing to play her would be to do?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, I think she played really smart.  I knew how she was
going to play.  I don't really -- I never really discuss my game plan, but
some of the things she did I definitely expected, and I just had to come up
with an answer.
I think it was working really well for her, and I had made a few errors that
I probably shouldn't have made.  But I think overall that in the end I
switched game plans actually.

Q.  Seemed like you wanted to keep her away from the net, wanted to pin her
maybe to the baseline a little bit?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  No, I love when people come to the net, so, no.
I definitely changed a little bit in the end, and it really worked for me.

Q.  There are the stories of when you were a kid, Venus would give you the
winner's trophy in junior tournaments, and then there is that great scene in
the documentary where you're cuddling big time with her at home, which is
really sweet.  My question relates to a comment that Billie Jean King made
about how sort of subconsciously Venus gives you the spotlight now and then.
 Could you just talk about your dynamic with your older sister and how that
works?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  We have a great dynamic.  We're best friends and we really
love each other.
You know, every time she's not around, I miss her.  I really rely on her.
 Like even today after the match I was like, oh.  I wanted to talk to her
just about being in this position, you know.  She doesn't -- no one else is
in this position that I'm in, only her.  So I think it's really unique that
we can relate like that.
Yeah, I don't remember what else I was going to say.

Q.  She's very supportive for you.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  So spotlight.  I'm not about the spotlight.  I just play
tennis and I love to do what I do.
You know, everything that comes with it, like when I started playing tennis,
it was just because I wanted to win a Grand Slam.  I'm still here playing, so
I'm still here trying to win Grand Slams.
Everything else that comes with it just comes with the territory.  So neither
one of us are like looking for the spotlight or anything like that.  She
doesn't shy away from it and kind of give it to me, and I don't, like, try to
take it or anything, because that's not what it's about.

Q.  How much has working with Patrick helped you, and is he kind of one of
the most knowledgeable people about tennis you've worked with?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, I think it's helped me a lot.  He loves tennis almost
too much.  It's kind of crazy.
So he really knows the game really well.  But it's been great, because
sometimes he'll say things, and I'll say, I don't agree with that.  He's
like, Okay.
So we -- some things I don't agree with, but most things I do.  We kind of
feed off each other, and I think we both have a great knowledge of the game.
I think it works well because of that relationship like that.

Q.  For the second time the Italian history in Roland Garros we had three
women in the last 16.  I count on you finding some original phrases to
describe, one phrase for each of them:  Schiavone, Vinci, and Errani.  Can
you tell one for each?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Vinci, I would say tricky.  Schiavone, I would say just --
I just love her.  She has such a great personality.  And Errani is really
sweet.

Q.  There is another player in the draw named Serena Williams.  If you had to
come up with one phrase to describe her the way you did with the Italian
players...
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Fierce.

Q.  And the other question is Roberta really had you on the run at one point
midway through the second set.  You seemed to be totally out of it, but then
you came with this great offensive lob, very flat, landed just in.  Do you
think playing doubles helps you?  Talk about how doubles helps your game.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Doubles definitely helped me.  I have a really good volley
because of doubles.  I can kind of -- when I go to the net, I know where to
cover and what to do.  I know what shots to expect.
You know, I can hit lobs really well because in doubles you have to use them.
 I use them a lot in doubles.  Usually they're terrible.
But it just really helps your hand/eye coordination, helps you pick up the
ball faster.
I love doubles.  I really hate that we're not playing this week.