PILOT PEN TENNIS


August 25, 2000


Venus Williams

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT


Q. Is it fair to say that was the best you played this week?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I would say it was the most controlled I've played this week
as far as just controlling it, keeping it in, getting -- I was trying to get
a lot more first serves in with a little more placement, less double faults.

Q. Did you stick more to the gameplan tonight rather than experimenting?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, because I didn't have time to struggle today, seeing
I'm playing a night match and I have to play tomorrow also, assume that I
win, I would have to play tomorrow, and I didn't want to extend myself
further than what was necessary. So I felt that I should play a little
consistency, consistently and when I had the opportunity to go for it.

Q. Play Monica tomorrow?

VENUS WILLIAMS: It will be a good experience, good thing. I have a possible
semi-final matchup with her. If all things go well, she keeps winning,
possibility I'll play again at the Open. We both get through.

Q. The first time you said you didn't think you did that well. Second time
you said you did better than the first. This time how do you think you did?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think I did okay, I was under control, I was trying.

Q. What did you get in your eye at that one point?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think it was an eyelash, I couldn't really get it out, so I
just had to tough it out.

Q. Asked you this yesterday...winning streak at 18 now, something you're
thinking about?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm going to try to keep it on my side. I have a few more
tournaments this year. It would be nice to go without another loss. I had
three losses this year. I think maybe only one player in the top ten and two
other -- I don't know, but I had a couple of losses this year and,
fortunately enough, I played well in my larger matches against like Serena
and Lindsay or Hingis, so that's been nice.

Q. I was reading your bio, and it says you're going to school in Florida;
what school is that?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I prefer not to say.

Q. What is that?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I prefer not to say.

Q. This week you talked a little bit about turning your game on and off,
depending on who you were playing and sometimes you said you were bored, a
little bit of a statement there, both sets you end with power serves almost
like you're turning it on at that moment?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I think I went for a serve more unexpected,
which is a tougher serve, for a righthander like myself that's not really the
expected serve. I hit that one well at times. So I guess I went for it and
everything went right.

Q. Venus, do you think your level has risen since Wimbledon, it just keeps
getting better?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I think that I've been winning, but as far as
playing better, I'm not sure. I think in my other tournament I was a little
more aggressive. This week I feel my balls are playing out. I feel like I
have to kind of play within myself. So tomorrow I'm definitely going to try
the add more spin and keep it in, stay with the power.

Q. Amanda said she thought the difference in the match was about 25 miles per
hour on your serves, yours compared to hers; would you agree with that?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think I was serving very big today. I thought I was
serving pretty reserved. I think also she took the level of her serve down. I
played her about two weeks ago in San Diego, she was actually hitting some
nice serves. I was attacking her first serve, second serve. I think today her
plan was to get the first serve in so she could not have to scramble as much,
but you have to go for it, especially to beat someone like me.

Q. She's tough once you get in a rally with her, she's tough to put it away
so that she was saying those first couple hits in each rally weren't very
important, that's what you said, try to be more aggressive like on her first
serve?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I just think that, again, a player like her, you have to do
your best to come in a little more, take some balls out of the air, hit some
volleys, because she anticipates well, and she runs very well. And you just
have to be consistent and expect her to get some balls back. That's not a
problem, because she's a good player.

Q. Venus, is Serena coming watch?

VENUS WILLIAMS: That's a rumor. Where did you hear it from?

Q. Is it nice to play in front of her?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, yeah, she came actually in San Diego, and I wasn't
playing too well in the final, she said, it's okay, Venus, it's okay. You
have to want it more. She was pumping me up the whole time. I was
disappointed I got down to 5-2 in the second set. I managed to get 7-6, I
played in the tie break. She said, it's okay, it's okay. That was nice.

Q. Will you warm up with her tomorrow morning?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I don't know if she'll be here.

Q. She won't be here in time. How was she feeling?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Pretty good, apparently. Everytime I call, she says, "Hold
on, I'm on the other line." Today she said, "I'm actually in a business
call," and she never called me back. So I don't know what she's doing. She's
a top executive now.

Q. When you're at a tournament like this, which is supposed to be a tune-up
for the U.S. Open, you actually want to see the best player, the other draw,
meaning Monica, come out, so you can play the best person in the field.

VENUS WILLIAMS: In general I like to play the higher ranked players, a better
opportunity for me to move forward in my life. It's nice, I have the
opportunity to play her. I guess, too, Tauziat would have been nice too, she
plays quit well. But, yes I'm happy to be playing in the final.

Q. You think Monica will help you to prepare for the U.S. Open better than
say anyone else?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I think all preparation comes before you step on the
matchcourt, comes in your mind, but sure, it's a nice match to play.

Q. I also read in your bio that once your finished with tennis, you don't
want to have anything else to do with it; why is that?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Because I don't want to be a coach, I don't want to be a
commentator, I don't want to write for tennis, I would like to move on with
my life.

Q. Into fashion design?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know, maybe I'll just sit around. But I will have a
degree, so I have the choice.

Q. You look like you could be a model; have you ever thought of that?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don't think it's a good world for me. I think I'm
better off on the sidelines.


Q. Once again you raised the level of your game to the opponent you were
playing. Once she broke you, 3-2, you reeled off four straight games to
finish off the set, same thing as you've been doing, trying to get out of
that habit.

VENUS WILLIAMS: You see, I'm not used to that, really. These days I kind of
get ahead, and I'm not used to playing from behind, especially far behind.
When I first got on the tour, I was always gutting it out and fighting to the
end. I was always getting behind and finding a way to win the match. Now I'm
not used to this anymore. When I get behind, it's a very strange feeling.
Fortunately enough, it's only one or two games these days.

Q. Expectations on playing Monica tomorrow?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I expect her to definitely raise the level of the game,
because she's playing a top player. And she's actually serving a lot better,
that's a plus. She's using her lefthanded serve very well, and she's trying
to put something behind her return serve and her groundstroke, and she's
moving a lot better. So she definitely added a of lot pluses to her game.
These days you have to if you want to keep competing. Everyone is getting
better every day. So I expect her to play well. If she's going to go for the
title with the U.S. Open, no one wants to enter the Open with a loss. I'm
going to go for it. She will too.