U.S. OPEN

August 29, 2018

Venus Williams

New York, NY, USA

V. WILLIAMS/C. Giorgi

6-4, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I just want to get your thoughts on the change of attire code violation,
and do you think sometimes on the tour that men are treated different than
women?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Could I talk about my match? Anybody have questions about
that? Thank you.

Q. How would you describe the way you're playing right now and the
accomplishment to get through these first two tough matches?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely played some really tough opponents.
Obviously, the first round, it was a tournament you have to start off at a
sprint, and she's, obviously, had a good year and can beat anyone at any
given time. I just try to adjust to each match as I go on.

Q. What goes through your mind when you play against Serena? Obviously, if
she wins tonight, that's your opponent in the third round. You have had so
many memorable matches against her. People really have a fascination with the
mindset --
VENUS WILLIAMS: So what's the question?

Q. What goes through your mind when you play her?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, obviously, it's early in the tournament, so
both of us are going to be looking forward to continuing to play better.
Obviously, it's definitely a tough draw. She's definitely fully capable of
winning tonight's match. So hopefully I'll see her Friday.

Q. In these extreme weather conditions, do you kind of focus on the heat or
do you put it out of your mind and try to focus on the game? How do you
prepare when it's this hot outside?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, there's really nothing you can do but try to hydrate
the best you can so your body is holding onto the water and you're not
letting the water go out so fast. That's what leads to cramps and it's
definitely not easy out there.

So the thing that makes it fair, though, is every single person is playing in
it.

Q. Going back to the possibility of facing Serena, from the matches that you
have played against her, what is the most memorable for you?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I'm the kind of person that looks forward, so I
try to learn from the past and try to enjoy the moment in the future.

Q. What is the challenge, psychologically, to play against your sister in a
way that you've experienced...
VENUS WILLIAMS: You're beating it up now. Any other questions about anything
else?

Q. Change of attire code violation, just your thoughts on that, please.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Any further questions? I just want to talk about tennis. I'm
here to talk about tennis.

Q. What was so great about your dad that he produced two fabulous tennis
players and two really great people?
VENUS WILLIAMS: He's a cool guy. One of the coolest guys out there. I'm happy
to have been one of those daughters that got his teachings.

Q. Was it cool when he drove around the neighborhood looking at the articles,
saying you just won a tennis tournament when you were a kid?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was, like, 1990. Yeah, everything was an adventure.
It still is.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports