ROGERS CUP


August 20, 2009


Serena Williams

TORONTO, ONTARIO


S. WILLIAMS/A. Bondarenko
6-1, 6-4


THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Looked like you were really on your game in the first set and really kind
of struggled in the middle. Do you know yourself why you can be so powerful
for the first set and then kind of hit those little bumps?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I just was trying to be perfect, and then I just couldn't
get my serve in and got frustrated. I've been practicing a lot on my serve.
It just hasn't been well. I mean, I think in any case that can be frustrating.

Q. Is that something you kind of have to manage as you go along to your own
expectations?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. You know, I get really emotional on the court at times
and, you know, sometimes I just am really into the game maybe too much and
I've got to try to be more sangfroid. I think it means remain calm.

Q. Is that when you kind of go like that sometimes?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. I can't help myself when I do that. I think it's just
something natural, and hopefully it helps me. I think towards the end I was
able to relax and just calm down and then just try to stay positive more than
anything.

Q. You have a good chance of closing the gap in the rankings. I'm just
wondering, the season-ending rankings, are they important for you this year
or are you still very much looking towards the US Open as the No. 1 priority?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, I just -- I'm just trying to play well, and
there's a huge gap, so I'm just trying to do what I can and stay alive here
and this is my first focus.

Q. Dogs stay away from the breakfast this morning?
SERENA WILLIAMS: They did. I had a long talk with them yesterday. (laughter.)
The little one waited patiently today to receive some chicken. She was so
cute. I couldn't resist.

Q. As a fan of the doubles game and particularly how you and Venus play well
together, some of us were disappointed that the two of you did not elect to
be a doubles team. I just want to know do you only play doubles in Grand Slam
events?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, we would have wanted to play here, but it was too close
to the Open, and we love playing doubles more than anything. We played in
Stanford earlier, just a couple weeks ago. We just decided that we'll be
playing at the Open, so we're really excited to play.

Q. You mentioned earlier maybe needing to better control your emotions a
little more. That aside, how else do you feel about your performance so far
in the tournament?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I thought I played pretty well yesterday. I was just a
little disappointed in myself today after playing so well yesterday. I
thought that if I could keep up that form, I'm on my way to glory. Today I
didn't play as well, so hopefully I can get it back.

Q. You mentioned you weren't very happy with your serve, but compared to some
of the problems the other players have been having, your serve has been very
solid over the years. Do you have any feelings for why that is?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, no, I just think the other players, makes me respect
them more to continue to keep going, and it makes me think -- you know, I'm
not hitting as many double faults, but I'm not getting first serves, 0% with
first serves, which is just as frustrating. I can kind of sympathize and
like, you know, what's wrong with our serves?

Q. But you never seem to have had as much of a crisis with confidence.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, no, and I don't now. I've been working really hard at
it, and hopefully it will come together in a couple of days.

Q. With all the playing obligations you have with all the different
tournaments, can you give us a sense as to how much fatigue is playing a role
at this time of the season and if you maybe have to hold back in favor of
saving yourself for a Grand Slam?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, well, there's a lot of commitments now, and it's
really difficult to show up every week and perform, but that's what makes all
women's players and every athlete that's at this event a champion that we
are.
Everyone shows up, and you know, whether they win or they lose, I think
everyone gives 100% every time.

Q. I want to ask again about Twitter. You and your sister Venus Twitter a lot
back and forth as if you're texting each other, but hundreds of thousands of
people are reading that. Can you tell us why you like to basically have kind
of sister conversations in front of hundreds of thousands of people?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's no reason in particular, like Venus will say something
funny and I must reply because it's so funny. She'll hear something.
It is like a text. I feel like I am texting her. I don't know why. I just
think -- I don't try to do it on purpose. It's just that when she writes
something, I always want to reply straightaway to what she writes.

Q. Do you text each other as well, or is that your main way of fast
communication?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, no, no, that is not our main way of communication. We
text each other and talk to each other all the time, but sometimes she'll
write something funny or I'll write something and she'll call me or she'll
write back, so it depends.

Q. What are your thoughts on Kim Clijsters' comeback?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm really happy for her. Like I said, I think she's a great
athlete beyond being a good person, and I just can -- I don't think it could
happen to a better person. She's doing so well, and she's playing so well.
Looks like she never left the tour.

Q. What do you think is better for women's tennis, to have a dominant No. 1
player like Roger on the men's side or to have a lot of different people that
reach that No. 1 position?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I don't know really the answer. I think a lot of
people are interested in women's tennis right now. So who knows? Maybe this
is the best. I don't know. I'm not an outsider looking in.

Q. You and your sister have been on the tour for some time now and I'm sure
inspired a lot of young American girls to pick up a tennis racquet. That
being said, how come in your opinion we haven't seen more emerging American
talent on the tour in recent years such as other countries like Russia, for
example?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I think there is a lot of emerging American talent
that's coming up and we just haven't seen them maybe just yet. But I know
there are a lot of girls that are doing really well. I think within this year
or next year I think will be a lot of people coming.

Q. Anyone in particular you want to give us a heads-up on?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, you look at Melanie Oudin who did really well
at Wimbledon. She beat Jankovic. She's been playing so solid, and she really
helped the Fed Cup get to the final. I mean, she's one name, and there are
lots of other girls, too.

Q. I couldn't help but noticing that you have the blue on today. Does that
having have anything to do with the Dolphin situation? There has been a lot
of talk about you and Venus getting into the Miami Dolphins. I know you
talked about it last night, but could you maybe just expand on it a little
bit?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Do the Dolphins wear blue?

Q. Teal blue, sort of, yeah.
SERENA WILLIAMS: It's not blue. (laughter.)
I think you're thinking of the Cowboys.

Q. That's like a teal blue; white, orange, blue.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Ah. It's not blue.

Q. Can you just talk a little bit about that, though? There is a lot of
talk...
SERENA WILLIAMS: I discussed it yesterday. You know, we'll see.

Q. Do you have a preference playing in the afternoon or at night? Were you a
little surprised that you were playing in the afternoon draw and not again at
night?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I like to play during the afternoon because it's hot. I
feel like I can burn more calories. (laughter.)
I want to take off like five more pounds, so, you know, I'm like, Okay,
great. And then I have the rest of the day to relax, so it worked out perfect.

Q. Do you understand maybe why they had Clijsters and Sharapova on tonight?
Kind of a good story, I guess.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, usually you don't play too many, you know, two night
matches in a row. So usually they try and mix it up. I think I burned some
extra cals, so I'm feeling great.

Q. Good for you.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Thanks. I'm keeping it up.

Q. Burning calories aside, when you go deep in a tournament like this up
against a Grand Slam, is there concern about fatigue?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. I've been trying to get really fit and not
get fit but stay fit throughout the year. I think I should be fine.

Q. I mean, what is it about taking off some pounds? Are you serious about
that? Do you feel like you need to take off pounds before the US Open?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Every girl wants to lose weight.

Q. Come on.
SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I've always -- you can read about it in my book
more, but you know, I've never been 100% comfortable with my body. I'm always
trying to lose weight. It is what it is.

Q. With Safina out, is it somewhat disappointing the No. 1 and No. 2 won't
meet in the final?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I guess. I don't really think about it. I have to just -- I
have to get to the final, so yeah, I gotta get there myself.

Q. The WTA president was in on Tuesday. The issue about players making noise
when they're hitting shots came up again. Obviously it was a big topic at the
French Open. Can you maybe just address what it's like playing against
somebody who, you know, when they hit, they hit, and they're loud as opposed
to, say, like today it was very quiet out there?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, well, I grunt, so I don't know. Maybe you can ask
someone -- I don't have a problem with it. Like I'm focused on the ball and
not necessarily the grunt.
And I think grunting is in. Everybody's doing it. Guys are doing it. It's
hot. It's what's now, and it's popular and everyone should do it. You know,
it's the to-do thing.

End of FastScripts