Serena Williams defeats Vera Zvonareva
Final Round
6-4, 3-6, 6-3

AMY BINDER: All right. Questions for your champion, please.

Q. Hi Serena, first off, congratulations on the win.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Thank you.

Q. Can you just describe what you're feeling right now taking this tournament?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm feeling really good. I feel like I'm just happy to be able
to win a tournament again, and you know, I feel like, yeah, I have some
momentum behind me and I just want to keep going.

Q. Serena, what about that crowd? Again, they were really behind you today.
What can you say about that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: The crowd was definitely really behind me. I really love this
crowd. It makes me want to come back. If this was the only tournament I could
play, it makes me want to come, so it's just been a great week to have such
an amazing crowd. I love it. I love it.

Q. How would you compare the way you're playing now say with 2002, back in
those days?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, that was a long time ago. I don't know. How am I playing
now in comparison? I definitely feel that -- honestly, I don't remember really
how I was playing back then. I have to go look at film.

Q. After the second set I heard a spectator say, "looks like Serena's tired.
I don't know. I don't know if she's going to pull through it." And I said,
"Don't ever count her out." So how did you change going into the third set?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, you clearly know me. I'm not one to be counted out
even if I'm down match point and 0-5. I just felt like I had to relax, and I
felt like I was making a lot of errors today, more than I did my other matches,
and I was just like, okay, if I could just make some of these shots, then I'll
be fine. And I finally started making some and just buckled down and just
doing what I needed to do.

Q. Last night you predicted that you would have long points with her, that she
would get everything back. Is that true?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. Definitely. I felt like she would get a lot of balls
back. I've played her a few times, so I really know her game, and she's a real
fighter and she never stops.

Q. Physically, was your ankle bothering you or anything else there in the
second set?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. Physically I was fine. She just played really good in
the second set. I made a couple errors, and she stepped up her game when it
was necessary.

Q. Only Henin and Mauresmo have won more big clay court titles than you.
Do you look at them as competition in the European season coming up?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm sorry. Only Henin and Mauresmo?

Q. Yeah. In terms of Tier I or above clay court titles.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, okay. I don't understand that question because I didn't
know -- Mauresmo won the French?

Q. No. She won Berlin and Rome.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, okay. Okay.

Q. Who do you look at as your biggest clay court competition coming up?

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I definitely look at everyone as my clay court
competition. I don't care who I'm playing. Like last year at the French Open
I had a very tough first round match, and you know, everyone's out to win,
and that's how I look at it.

Q. Serena, can you talk about that third set in the fifth game when you were
able to break her? Do you kind of feel like the momentum wasn't going to swing
back in her favor after that point?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I just wanted to stay focused, and I wanted to win really bad
at that point in the third set, and I just felt like if I could just break her,
because I think she broke me, and I just wanted to get back on serve and I just
wanted to be in the lead at that point.

Q. What are you going to remember most about this tournament when you've won
so many? What's going to stand out about this one years down the road?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, definitely what's going to stand out it's cool that I
won at 35 years, and also the fact that, you know, I just think it's kind of
cool to win such a good point.

Q. It almost seems like you can serve an ace at will. For instance, when she
was questioning that one call on your serve and there was a long pause, and
your whole body language said, "watch this." And then you aced her.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. I know. I feel like I can do that, too. I don't
understand why I don't do that every time, though, so it's definitely not at
will, but like when I'm really angry or like upset, I can do it. It's like
maybe I need to be angry and upset every time.

Q. How about just the way you're playing overall going into the European
season and looking ahead to the French? You must feel pretty good about that.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know what. I'm definitely feeling good, but right now I'm
just looking ahead to Berlin. That's my next event. And I'm just taking it one
event at a time. I feel like I'm on track. As long as I'm healthy, I can do
well.

Q. You had some slow starts in your previous match. Can you talk about anything
that was different for you in the first set that wasn't in the past two
matches?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you know, I just wanted to get the first set under my
belt, and thank God I did because I lost the second. So you know, I'm glad
that was my goal.

Q. Serena, I just wanted to ask, you had said earlier this year you needed to
get back to your bread and butter. Is the bank account looking better after
the last couple months? Are you happy with that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. I don't really know what my bread and butter is. So
whatever it is, I think I definitely feel like, whatever it is, I'm moving
towards that.

Q. And just one last on the match, when you had the three-setter against
Srebotnik, you said you never felt like you were in doubt to lose. When she
broke you in the third set, did you feel like you were in trouble there?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I did. I felt like, gosh, I need to step it up, I'm going to
be home angry. So I thought, okay, Serena, you really have nothing to lose.
You know, all you have to do is just play your game, and honestly, I was
making a lot of errors, and I felt like if I could just get some of those
balls into play, then things would be better.

AMY BINDER: Thanks a lot.

END OF INTERVIEW