TMS - THE ERICSSON OPEN


March 29, 2001


Venus Williams

THE ERICSSON OPEN, MIAMI, FLORIDA


THE MODERATOR: First question.

Q. With everything that is going on in the last week or so it would have been
easy for you to get off track. How have you been able to maintain the focus
on your tennis?

VENUS WILLIAMS: For me, it is really not very difficult because in my opinion
all these things going on around me are not very important because I have
more important things in my life, so many more important things and most of
all because tennis is not all and everything for me. So I really been able to
really keep my game under control. I haven't been overhitting really, that is
the most important thing. I have been serving alot better this week too.

Q. With the wind out there, were you trying to simplify your toss a little?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely brought my toss down a little bit which was
sometimes a little bit detrimental. I hit some balls really long, but other
than that I was okay. Serving my second serve halfway decent but the wind was
a factor. I don't know if it will be windy on Saturday, but I will definitely
take that into consideration in my next practice.

Q. Do you think your fast start made all the difference in this match?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Definitely. It is a lot easier when you win the first set.
Because I feel a lot more confident going into the second and because you
don't really have to claw and fight to get back into a third.

Q. Against a quality player like Martina, have you ever had an opening three
games as strong as the three you had today?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. Quite a few times. I didn't always back it up but today
I did. I guess I am a lot older and more wiser, but I have had some starts
against maybe Martina like that before. Actually, the first time I played her
at the Lipton in 1997, I had 3-Love and lost it, but --

Q. Did you just make up your mind. I am going to come out in this match, I am
going for winners on every opportunity?

VENUS WILLIAMS: That is my game, to hit the ball. Any time that I try to play
otherwise I become an average player because my game is to hit and any other
thing I don't really know how to do because I don't practice that. So, it is
important for me to go out and play my game and not be convinced that I have
to play a different way because I am playing a certain player.

Q. Do you approach a match with Martina any differently than anyone else, Do
you feel a different sense of rivalry with her, or is she basically another
excellent player that you are playing against?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I approach every match differently depending on who I am
playing. If I have never played the player before or if I am playing Martina,
then maybe I will be a little bit more focused going into the match because
she is a good competitor and really try not to give her too much room to get
back into the match because she is very good at that.

Q. What are your thoughts of making another final and playing either
Dementieva or--

VENUS WILLIAMS: I am really excited. If I could play every tournament like I
do the Lipton, I would be undefeated-- I am sorry, the Ericsson. It is hard
for me, guys. It is hard for everybody. But if I could just do this every
time I'd be No. 1.

Q. Have you played either of them that much, I mean, Capriati?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Capriati only once back in 1997. Dementieva quite a few
times. Well, three. And I think my odds are good against both of them and I
think they are evenly matched going into tonight's match for them because I
played Dementieva last week and I saw Capriati play yesterday, so I can't say
who is going to win-- looks to me like they are hitting quite a few over the
net but I would say Dementieva is a little more powerful.

Q. Did Martina seem more pre-occupied with the trial coming up?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know-- I think she maybe had a slow start, but I had
a fast start, that could be part of it. And it was windy, and it seemed to
get more windy as we went on, so it was a little weird out there with the
ball turning into you and on your serve. Also, we were serving in the sun for
at least half of the match so there were a lot of outside factors today.

Q. Did she seem any different than any other time you have played her?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. No. Not at all.

Q. When Martina was asked to explain her comments about racism on the Tour
and then why African Americans had an advantage in her opinion, she said it
was because people were afraid to say the wrong thing about African Americans
and that the media took it easy on you and Serena.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't quite understand.

Q. Her comments-- this is Martina's comments. She said that people were
afraid to say the wrong thing about African American players on the Tour.
That was one. She also said that the media took it easy on you and on Serena?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't understand, though, the question, why would she say
that in conjunction with what question she asked.

Q. The other day she said in a press conference that there -- it was nonsense
that there was racism on the Tour and that African Americans had an advantage
being on the Tour. She was following up to those comments.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think anyone has an advantage on the Tour. I think as
far as the WTA Tour and also the Grand Slam events, they are very fair. And
if anything, I have been a marquis player all my life. I have had an extra
advantage, I would believe, I haven't had to come from the bottom as an
unknown scrub, so I couldn't tell you how that how that would be. But as far
as outside of tennis. People are afraid to face the reality. No one wants to
see bad things; no one wants to see the dark side. They want to be happy. And
I don't blame that. But we have got to face our fears and go head on to any
problem that we might have in America, that is how I believe.

Q. People have to look at their attitudes?

VENUS WILLIAMS: It is hard. It is hard to change. Especially if something you
have been taught - your parents taught you mentality of a country is hard and
it takes time. That is all I have to say.

Q. Venus does it give you a special satisfaction to defeat Martina Hingis and
mainly in the way you did today?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I had quite a few unforced errors, so if I could just get
myself somehow -- maybe I need to go an 11-step program for unforced errors.

Q. Can you talk about the two times that you faced problems today, 5-4 she
was serving for the second set and also when she had a set point in the
tiebreaker, what was going through your mind each time?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, at 5-4 I don't know. She made a few errors, but I think
I hit a few good deep shots and when I was down in the tiebreak I said Venus,
this is your advantage, I was serving, so hit a nice first serve and took my
time on my overhead and it was 6-All.

Q. Did you think about a third set?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Not during the second set because I was concentrating on the
second and really doing my best to take that one.

Q. Two bandages on your knee that don't go all the way around, what are they
designed to do?

VENUS WILLIAMS: They are designed to keep me out of pain basically.

Q. I don't understand how.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, they are preventative measures so that way I can
continue to play tournaments like the Ericsson.

Q. I don't know if you have heard yet, but a judge ruled today that you are
not going to have to testify?

MODERATOR: Due to legal and security reasons they are not answering any
questions on this matter. Next question, please.

Q. What about her own security concerns?

THE MODERATOR: Next question, please.

Q. Venus, I am wondering about Jennifer Capriati. You played her once. You
were talking about the 1997 Lipton match. Do you have any memories at all
from that match and how much has Capriati changed or progressed?

VENUS WILLIAMS: She played great that night and I played pretty good too and
I just remember at the end I was just very calm and pulled the match out.

Q. You said that you wanted to play the higher ranked player when they asked
you --

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes, I like to play the higher ranked player. It is more to
my advantage for my ranking purposes; that is how I feel.

Q. Dementieva, if you play her she is going up to No. 8 on Monday, I believe,
how has her game progressed since you just played her a couple of weeks ago
compared to when you first did?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think she hits the ball a little bit harder. Maybe -- she's
always been very consistent but it just seems like she has just taken her
game up a step in her serve, return, groundstrokes - volleys she just doesn't
come in that much. Seems like she has just taken her game to another level.

Q. Seems like you defeated her pretty easily at least by the score; that was
your last match at Indian Wells. Was your knee hurting in that match pretty
much?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I know the match before I played Rachel McQuillan, I
was sore, moving pretty slow, and against Dementieva fortunately enough I
didn't have to work that hard. But I was moving slow and moving faster this
week.

Q. You said you didn't have to work that hard?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I didn't have to work too hard.

Q. Why is that?

VENUS WILLIAMS: She made a lot of errors. I think she didn't play her best
that day.

Q. Venus hits a 68 mile an hour serve. Does she have to improve her second
serve to play at your level, especially on big points?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think she has to improve her second serve because
until someone really threatens her or everyone threatens her every time and
says -- and makes a lot of winners, then she doesn't have to improve it.
Occasionally she play someone like me or Serena or Lindsay or maybe Clijsters
who is going to maybe take a chance, but most people are just happy to put
the ball in play.

Q. You said that you were very focused throughout this entire week. Did you
ever say to your dad, gee, just let my tennis do the talking; try not and say
too much to the press?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I never tell him what to do. I am not in that kind of
position. I am just a kid.

Q. Did you ever wish you could tell him to do that?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No.

Q. Venus, you were raised -- if you meet Jennifer in the final you sort of
come at it from two different ways being tennis prodigies. You remember when
you were wanted to play and your dad was holding you back, was she ever
mentioned as don't burn out quickly, don't -- look what happened to Jennifer?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I just think when Jennifer -- she's an isolated case as far
as what may have happened to her. Maybe she was tired. Maybe she decided I am
going to layoff and play tennis a little later in life. Maybe it is not for
me. Maybe that is what happened to her. I don't think it was anything exactly
so tragic. Maybe she needed time.

Q. You said that you felt you were a wiser player now than you were before.
Can you tell us in what ways you think --

VENUS WILLIAMS: I just play a lot smarter. I don't always try to kill the
ball. Give myself a chance. I still like to hit hard because that is my game
and it keeps people on their toes and it keeps them pushed back, but I think
in general I make a lot better decisions.

Q. Davenport said she believes your father likes to just say things to stir
up the media and leave you and your sister to deal with the consequences. Do
you and Serena feel that way?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, we don't.

Q. Did the leg hurt today? Is pain something you just -- you are just going
have to deal with or did you feel -- (inaudible)

VENUS WILLIAMS: Actually I am happy that the final day is coming up for me
because I have all of April off, so I can just kind of relax and just get off
of my legs and my arms and everything. It has been a tough month for me
actually since February. So it has been a tough two months.

Q. Is your knee hurting now?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I am okay. If I was hurting too much then I wouldn't play.
But I just really have to -- really start an hour earlier whereas in the past
I would maybe take 15 minutes to warm up, now I take an hour so it is hard
for me to be so disciplined.

Q. Do you think too much is being placed on Indian Wells and what your father
says rather than on your tennis?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I haven't placed too much on it. Really life is
just about moving on and learning from everything that happens to you.

Q. Is it a possibility, you know, Serena was hurt, hurt her knee was hurt and
there were, you know, can this be getting in a position where if even if she
wanted to stop because she is hurts -- is there a danger of this whole injury
thing whether it is you, Lindsay getting out of control, whereas if you are
hurt you have got to stop as opposed to just playing through because of what
people may say?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't understand the question.

Q. The question is Serena was hurt and I am wondering if, you know, there
could be a point where maybe you will want to stop because you are actually
in pain but because of the Indian Wells thing or whatever you figure, well,
let me play through this, where maybe you should stop, do you think there
could be a danger of playing through pain when maybe you should stop and not
play?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don't think it is a danger because I think the person
has to decide whether or not they can endure it or whether or not they can
continue and if it is good for them or not so everyone has to make that
decision for themselves. Only the athlete knows that for sure.

Q. This past week it seems that there has been this suggestion again that
maybe your dad has a great influence on you and Serena greater perhaps than
he should, can you address that issue?

VENUS WILLIAMS: He does have a great influence on me. He is my dad and I like
when he is happy with me. And I do my best and he has given me everything
that I have right now or else I would be somewhere struggling in college and
I guess in California, I don't know where I would be. Who knows, maybe lots
of bad things could have happened to me. Maybe because of tennis I have
stayed so focused in my life. So I am really, really thankful and I have
nothing to say badly against him because he loves me. He want the best for
me, and he has done everything that he can and he'd really -- he'd give his
right arm.

Q. Because of this perception do you feel that you and Serena that you have
to declare your independence from him or not?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. I do everything that I can to -- because I realize,
especially now, I think about, you know, I am not always going to have my dad
around, hopefully we will all keep living as long as possible, but, you know,
I really try to start visiting my dad more too and my mom because I have to
realize that they are not always going to be here, so I should make the best
of it and like learn things that happened to them in the past and learn more
about me too, so that is what I try to realize these days.

Q. How has your mother dealt with all of this last couple of weeks?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think we have anything to deal with. Because when you
know the truth, the truth sets you free. So we have no issue at all.