WIMBLEDON

July 5, 2008

Serena Williams

LONDON, ENGLAND

V. WILLIAMS/S. Williams
7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Serena Williams for you.

Q. We know that you don't like to lose. Is it any easier to lose to your
sister or is it just the same?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, it's definitely not any easier. I just look at her as
another opponent at the end of the day.

Q. Is it harder in any way?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, I don't know. I don't think it's harder, but it's
definitely not easier.

Q. But you're happy for her, aren't you?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, of course.

Q. What's going through your mind when she's celebrating? Did you sense any
sort of difference in her celebration because she knows it's you that she
just defeated?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I didn't see, you know, any celebration. I just kind
of went over to my chair, so... I wasn't paying attention.

Q. You were up in the first set and then something happened. Did you get
tight? Did you lose some rhythm?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I just lost rhythm and then I just made a lot of
errors. Uhm, I just couldn't get the balls in. You know, nothing I was doing
was seeming to work.

Q. Did you feel tight at all?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I didn't feel tight. I didn't feel tight. I just felt like
-- I felt good. My balls just started flying, and then she started serving
really well, I think.

Q. Can you find any satisfaction that it seemed to be a very well-played
match, balls going everywhere, both chasing down shots, or does the result
sort of leave you a little numb?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I definitely don't feel numb, per se. But, I mean, I
don't think I played well. I don't think I'm satisfied with the way I played
today.
For me there's nothing to be satisfied about.

Q. Did she make you not play well with her shots, or was it you disappointed
in the way you played?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I don't think she made me not play well. I think the
conditions were really tough out there. I know she was under the same
conditions, too, but, you know, it was just really, really tough.
She started just playing -- she lifted the level of her game and I should
have lifted mine, but instead I think mine went down.

Q. So you just played this match with her. You lost; she won. Now you have to
somehow, a couple hours later, put that behind you and be on the same side of
the court with her to play doubles. What do you think that's going to be
like? How are you preparing yourself for that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm prepared. I look forward to it. I'm ready to play
doubles, you know. I'm a little tired, but I don't think it's a problem.

Q. What does this win say about her as a grass court player?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, it says a lot about her. I mean, she's won five
Wimbledons now. She's beaten me on grass now, so that definitely says a lot.

Q. Did you look up at your family at any point during the match? If so, is
what you see in their faces any different than when you're not facing a
sister?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's kind of hard to look up there because I don't
know what they're thinking, like if they're gonna say, you know, do this or
do that, c'mon, I don't know. I just really try to gather strength from
myself.

Q. From yourself?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes.

Q. Venus was serving serves into your body. Is there anybody out there who
serves into the body as well as Venus Williams?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I think that was her tactic, was to serve every ball
into the body. I'm glad she did it, because next time I know what to expect.
I think I did good with getting them back.
I mean, I think I got a lot of those in-the-body serves. I knew what she was
doing. It was very readable. I knew what she was going to do, so I was able
to read it much better.
But I know next time playing what to expect, and I'll be even more ready for
it.

Q. What are your expectations as far as the two of you meeting again in
finals of majors? How much do you think this is a likelihood in the future?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, well, I mean, if we stay on the opposite side of the
draw it probably will be a likelihood. We're always trying to get to the
finals and do better than that.

Q. Do you at any time forget you're playing Venus?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I didn't think about that at all today.

Q. How would you rate your game today on a scale of 1 to 10?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I don't know. I hate doing scales. I'd rather not.

Q. Third game of the second set, worked really hard, a lot of breakpoints.
You finally break her to go up 2-1. The next game you lose your serve. What
do you think happened there, and how important was that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I was really hoping to hold serve there, especially
since the game was really long. But I didn't. I just didn't hold serve, so...

Q. Were you tired at all or...
SERENA WILLIAMS: I wasn't tired. I didn't play well. I did not play well
today. That's all.

Q. Part of a lot of your big matches is a kind of free-form expression, fist
pumping, talking to yourself. Did you feel like you were drawing back a
little bit today since you were playing Venus, there was a limitation there?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I didn't feel that at all. I felt like I was pretty
emotional out there. I didn't feel like I was -- I didn't even think about
that. I just tried to play my game and just do what I do normally. I didn't
change anything.

Q. A few years ago when you and Venus were meeting pretty regularly in
finals. Did it feel different five years later in terms of the two of you
sort of being more on your own, whereas before it was happening regularly, it
felt like it was all in the family, and this time it felt more like, as Venus
said the other day, every Williams for themselves?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I felt like that all the time, and I feel like that again
today. I mean, I was out there playing for Serena, you know.

Q. What message do you think the two of you have sent about the two of you as
competitors and as sisters with the way you've shared details of your
closeness?
SERENA WILLIAMS: What message did we send?

Q. About your closeness as sisters and how it becomes a competition when
you're on the court.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I think they just know that we're close, you know. I
don't know what message I sent. I just try to send a message that, you know,
play your best -- do your best at whatever you do.

Q. If anyone else had caught as many or aborted as many service tosses as
Venus did today, would you have been irritated enough to talk to the chair
umpire about it?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I think it was just so windy out there. You know, she
has a funky toss, so I guess she has to catch it a lot. Uhm, you know, it
wasn't like -- I mean, what can you do about it?

Q. What exactly happened on that let call, from your perspective?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know.

Q. Did the ball land in or out? Do you know?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know.

Q. When you came over to the side of the court, did you have a discussion
with him?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I forgot about the match pretty much (laughter).

Q. Since the match ended have you been kind of alone to deal with it, or have
you been hanging out with Venus after the match?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think she did -- you know, I haven't been hanging out with
her because she does her own thing after the match traditionally, as well as
I. We kind of do different things, so...

Q. Have you talked at all?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I saw her. I mean, we weren't involved in a big
conversation.

Q. You don't look happy at all.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't? I wonder why.