U.S. OPEN

September 3, 2016

Venus Williams

New York, NY, USA

V. WILLIAMS/L. Siegemund

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You seem to have a glow about you this fortnight. What's going on? Are you
just happy with your game to this point?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm happy with putting wins under my belt. I'm always in
search for perfection. If it's not perfect, I'm back to the drawing board,
so...

Today was a more straightforward win, but not perfect. So I'll be working on
perfection.

Q. What is the difference between straightforward and perfect?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, the thing is, you never really reach perfect, so that's
why you always go back to practice (laughter). That's just my mentality. I
think it's most players' mentality, too.

Q. The first week is over. What have you been pleased with with respect to
your game?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, the first week is over.

Just doing what I have to do. Being able to dominate when I need to. Being in
control of the points. So even if I lose a point, I feel like, okay, I'm in a
position to win the point. That's where I want to be every single time.

Q. After the match you told a little secret that I never heard before about
your mom's tennis game. Can you tell us a little more.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, my mom was the kind of athlete that could play anything
that she tried. She was very competitive at tennis. She didn't start tennis
until I guess the early '80s. So she started that later in life, but she
caught on quite quickly. She could really hit the ball.

A lot of people don't know that about my mom.

Q. How did seeing her growing up playing tennis inspire you?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Clearly a lot because here I am, here we are. She spent a lot
of hours with us on the court, and right until this day. It's amazing how
much time she's put into this.

I don't know how she does it, how she watches us. Even when I come to
Serena's match, I come in right before and get out. I don't know how she
stays and stays and stays. I guess it's called true love.

Q. You are going to meet up with a server like yours and Serena's in
Pliskova. How do you prepare for a match like that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Every match is a little different. Today my opponent tried to
play aggressively, but I played that game just a little bit better than her.
My first round, I don't know, I never hit so many overheads and swing volleys
in my life.

Each match is different. I approach them differently. We play kind of a
similar game. So it's about one of us playing that game better.

I haven't played her that often. So go out there and put the ball in the
court, try to win.

Q. Just one match against her. What do you take from that? Can you take
anything from that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was nearly a year ago. So, yeah, I've had the
experience of playing her. There's people, like today I never played Laura.
You never know what to expect. You have to see what happens. You never quite
know what to expect.

At least with her I know what's happening, I've seen her play. I can go into
the match well-prepared.

Q. There was a time after the diagnosis where it was difficult to get into
the second week of slams. Now it's a pretty regular occurrence over the last
couple years. What has been the trigger to get the consistency at the big
tournaments?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, that's a good question. It's just a lot of willpower.
That's really what it is. I started to feel better more consistently this
year, so I'm always trying to find things to help me feel my best.

But even if I'm not feeling great, I still manage to get a good fight in out
there.

Q. Everything that you went through physically, has that helped you enjoy the
game even more when you're not reaching perfection?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I would say that everything I've gone through has proven to
me that I love the game, because to be out here is an effort, to say the
least. So it's proved that I love this clearly enough to go through this. And
to reach perfection is something I still expect from myself, no matter what,
whatever it is I'm going through.

Q. You played all your matches on Ashe. I can't remember if you did that last
year. Is it something you noticed? Do you appreciate it more? I don't think
you played on Centre Court in the last slam.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I managed to get on Centre in the semifinals at Wimbledon, so
that was cool. I was like, Yes, I made it back.

I don't think about my court assignment that much. But Serena and I, we've
been playing American tennis for so long, I think that's perhaps where they
want to put us. We're playing at home. It's clearly a little bit different
when you're playing at home.

Q. A little bit of discussion about perfection. Do you recall when you've
been the closest to perfection on court, a singular match or moment where it
was pretty darn close?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, but it doesn't happen often. Just as good as perfection
is just feeling like you are in a rhythm. When you're in a rhythm, that's
good enough, because then you feel like you can get into points and find a
way to win them. That's a good place to be, as well.

Q. Do you recall when you were feeling like you were most in rhythm,
everything seemed like it was clicking for you on court?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I was in a pretty good rhythm at Wimbledon and this
summer. I was in a decent rhythm at the French. Playing a lot of good matches.

Q. Serena won her 307th major match. No man or woman in the open era has won
more major matches than she has. What do you think are the biggest reasons
for Serena setting that record?
VENUS WILLIAMS: 22 majors. That adds up quickly, so... Not to even count the
doubles. That's pretty obvious to me.

Q. What in your mind is it that sets her apart to enable her to have won that
many majors?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, she's put the work in. She believes in herself. So
between those two, you can't beat 'em. She has awesome technique. She feels
comfortable and confident.

Q. What's it been like for you to see her accomplish this?
VENUS WILLIAMS: It's great because when you're in the stands, you feel
confident, too. Because watching matches is really nerve -- you get so
nervous. I'm a lot more nervous watching than I ever have been playing. So
you feel like you're on the winning side.

Q. Can you ever see playing doubles in a Grand Slam at this point in your
career?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Definitely. Playing doubles here is challenging on the
schedule. The schedule's tough for us here to play doubles, between the
commute and the matches that they like us to play here. It becomes impossible
for us to be in a good position to win the singles or the doubles. We get in
a little bit of a disadvantage.

But we definitely want to keep playing when we can.

Q. Does the mindset change at all in the second week of a slam when you go
from the third round to the round of 16? Keep plugging away? What's the
mentality?
VENUS WILLIAMS: For me, I want to be more like myself, if that makes any
sense. For a player, you want to play your game, whatever that is, the best
you can. For me, I want to be as aggressive as possible but still play smart.
That's what I'll be looking to do each round, to be me.

Q. To find you?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, to find myself.

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