THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WIMBLEDON

July 10, 2017

Venus Williams

Wimbledon, London, England

V. WILLIAMS/A. Konjuh

6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What do you think about the fact that world No. 1 Angelique Kerber was put
on not a show court and you were? Do you think that was the right decision?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I really wasn't aware of what court she played on.

Q. She was on Court 2.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, I've been in that position before. Similar.

Q. How happy are you with how you were able to get through that today?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, she hits the ball hard. All of my opponents have
served amazing, hit really hard. So I think it was great preparation for me
to be able to, you know, kind of get used to that sort of pace.

Q. At the beginning of the tournament many people were saying how wide open
the women's field is. At this point in the tournament, how do you assess the
chances for you and the rest of the women in the field?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, when I come to these tournaments, my focus is just me,
not necessarily the other 127 women. So that is all I can control, is my
performance. That's still my focus at the moment.

Q. Jelena Ostapenko just won the French Open. She's next. You guys haven't
played. Have you watched her? What do you think?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Haven't seen her play a lot. I didn't watch any of the French
when I was finished with it. I know she had an amazing moment there. She's
riding on that momentum. Confidence I'm sure. It's just been such an amazing
result for her.

You know, so I'm definitely really happy for her.

Q. What does it take to remain nimble at this age? No offense, of course.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I just keep stretching. I have no secrets. I'm just doing
what I always have done.

Q. Is it more of a part of your routine than it was, say, 10 years ago?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think I stretch a little harder now. But only because I
enjoy it, yeah.

Q. How well are you playing, in your highly educated opinion?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think I'm playing pretty solid. For me it's about
getting through the round. You're not going to play perfect every round. I
would like to play, you know, in straight sets every round. That would be
great. If not, all that matters is you win.

Q. How do you compare the enjoyment of advancing here now than with years ago
when you were a new player and it was all new?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, winning never gets old at any stage in your career,
ever, ever.

Q. How about the road to get there?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Always different. Different conditions, different players,
different circumstances. It's never the same. It's never the same equation.

Q. You are the oldest quarterfinalist since Martina Navratilova achieved
that. Can you talk to us about how you're maintaining this form. Also 17
years ago since you won your first Wimbledon title. Can you compare your
strengths then to now?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think that the game has changed a lot in terms of the depth
and the power since the first time I won. I would say that's the biggest
difference in the game.

And of course, I've matured, learned a lot about the game since that time.
It's really a big difference.

Q. On Ostapenko. When someone new breaks onto the tour, think of them as a
potential rival for a while to come, do you ever do homework, have your coach
scout somebody? How do you prepare for a new face that breaks on as suddenly
as she has?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think my coach will probably look at the matches more
than I will. I think I'll see what happens when I get out there. I mean, I'm
sure she hits well off all sides. I have to see what the nuances are once the
game starts, because you can't necessarily plan for those.

Q. Svetlana was talking about her dog, how so many players have dogs that
give them comfort. Take a moment and talk about the joys of having a dog as a
tennis player. Does that help you in all the ins-and-outs?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I travel with my dog, but never here. Actually have a
yard here, so he would have loved that. We'll be reunited hopefully not too
soon, but soon.

Q. What is the name of your dog?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Very low profile. His name is Harold.

Q. Do you have any communication with him, Svetlana Skypes.
VENUS WILLIAMS: It's too upsetting for him. He hears me, but he doesn't
understand where I am. So I don't Skype.

Q. Tomorrow you're going to play your hundredth match here in Wimbledon. Are
these kind of numbers and records important to you?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know yet. Have to ask me when I'm retired, what it
feels like.

But for now, it's all about focusing on the best performance possible
tomorrow.

Q. You have fought a lot of fights at Wimbledon. How important is the
scheduling issue? Do you feel like the club has made efforts on it over the
years to balance it out with the women and the men?
VENUS WILLIAMS: This day is always a tough day. The scheduling has stayed the
same on this day since I've been around. I don't remember the earlier days,
though, to be honest.

But, you know, I'm sure that the women, we would want more matches on Centre
or Court No. 1 over the whole fortnight.

Q. Could one be starting a little bit earlier and having more matches, two
men and two women on Centre and Court 1?
VENUS WILLIAMS: It would be something worth considering, you know.

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