TMS - INDIAN WELLS, WOMEN


March 11, 2001


Venus Williams

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA


MODERATOR: Questions for Venus.

Q. A bit of a struggle?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. Just really got away from my game plan basically. In
the third set, I really just went to doing what I had planned on.

Q. What you should have done earlier, is that it?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, yes.

Q. What was your game plan?

VENUS WILLIAMS: My game plan, I don't want to share that, but I did not stick
to it. When I didn't, I was just confused. It was a real bad state.

Q. In the second set, the fourth game, you were down, easy lob, hit it in the
net. Seemed to deflate you. You went right out the next couple games. Did it
take you a while to recover from that?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don't think so. I wasn't playing my best before that
time. I guess all that matters is I was able to recover.

Q. When you say "game plan," are you just not playing the way you want to
when you get out on the court? You were telling us the other day you haven't
practiced enough so you're not hitting the way you want to.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm hitting much better. I'm hitting really well. Once I got
away from what I know how to do, what I had planned on doing, then I didn't
have a plan at all. I was just out there hitting the ball. That's how I felt.
Really, the third set I said, "I'm going to take this opportunity and I'm
going to go ahead and play the way I know how, just start off right away."

Q. Is that just a loss of concentration, looking around, it's a nice place to
be, snow on the mountains, suddenly the set is gone? Do you entirely lose
concentration?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don't think so. I think she started to play a lot
better, she started to get confident, and I started missing quite a few
shots, just really not doing what I'm able to do.

Q. You came out and dominated the third set. Are you able to take something
positive out of this?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely. I feel good about coming out of the match
because, in the end, I did go out there and do what I'm doing in practice. I
served a lot better. So there's always a positive. Even if I did play badly,
that's over with, it's finished, there's nothing I can do about it. I just
have to move on to the next round.

Q. When a match does go to a third set, do you feel your fitness gives you an
advantage?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Definitely. I just think that my mental state gives me an
advantage usually because most of the time it doesn't matter to me whether
I'm tired or not. At that point I have to keep on running, I have to be a
professional. If I lose because I'm tired, I don't think that's a
professional excuse. I would really just not admit it until months later
maybe. "Yes, mom, I was tired."

Q. What in particular are you doing with your serve? Trying to mix it up
more? Be a little more conservative? What?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I just find that a lot of times I'll hit a big serve and
they'll just block it back. Since I'm not willing to serve and volley at this
point, you know, it's really a waste of energy at times. A lot of times I'll
just hit a kick serve and wait for the short ball. The past two girls I
played, they weren't very tall, so a kick serve is a lot harder. I mean, even
for me the kick serve is sometimes difficult, and I'm six feet.

Q. Are you still having fun out there?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, still having fun.

Q. What's home life for you? You and Serena have your own house now?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. Can you go days or weeks without seeing or talking to your parents? Are
you always in contact?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, always in contact.

Q. How far are they?

VENUS WILLIAMS: 15 minutes.

Q. So what's the hardest thing about living on your own?

VENUS WILLIAMS: It's not very hard.

Q. Laundry, et cetera?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't wash. I don't clean. I wasn't made to do that.

Q. So who cooks?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Normally, I'll cook. But that's not very often because
there's never usually a lot of time for that. I get Japanese take-out usually
or I'll have a sandwich. I manage. I don't really know how. I guess that's
the toughest part, you know, I have to find my own meal now.

Q. When you do cook, what is the Venus specialty of the house?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I cook nice meats and I cook good desserts. I don't really
like to eat the desserts, I just like to cook them.

Q. Serena told us yesterday you were going to help her with her English
paper. Did she rope you in to doing that?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I haven't even written mine and it's due today. I was
supposed to have the rough draft in on Thursday. I'm ready. I've started
mine. I have a thesis sentence, three-topic sentence, supporting (inaudible).
I've mapped it out; all I have to do is fill it in.

Q. She said you were going to help her with hers.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes. I've picked her subject already.

Q. You're going to write it for her?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Please don't write this. The teacher could read this. He
could read this.

Q. You signed several endorsement contracts recently. Are you getting ready
to sign a few more?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think right now I just really have to concentrate on
playing because the more contracts that I may be in, the more responsibility
that I have to my sponsors. I have a limited amount of time. Plus I think
that we've taken all the contracts that we really believe in, things that
represent us well. We just don't take anything that comes to the door.

Q. How about the sports drink contract? I was talking to your father. He said
you're about to endorse some sort of sports drink. Is that going through?

VENUS WILLIAMS: You've got to talk to him.

Q. He told me you are. Has he told you?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm just a dumb athlete. Come on, I'll sign anything (rolling
eyes).

Q. There's still a chance you could play Serena in this tournament. Do you
look forward to that or would you rather do anything but have to play your
own sister?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't mind playing her. It's always a good match. You know,
it's going to be late in the tournament, so that's nice, too. We've played
each other actually in two finals. We're one and one in finals. In
semifinals, I guess I'm up one. It's bound to happen because we're playing on
the professional tour, play pretty well, always in the main draw. Hopefully
one day we'll meet in the finals. We'll take those top positions and stop
losing sets for no reason.

Q. Can you tell me what specifically is your favorite dish to cook?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Lamb chops. But I don't eat them, but I like to cook them.

Q. What happens to them? The dogs?

VENUS WILLIAMS: You know, either I eat a little bit and I then I forget to
put it in the refrigerator and it will spoil. Sometimes I'll cook if
someone's over, but that's rare. I just cook them up.