NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 28, 2004

Venus Williams

MIAMI, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I'm doing a story on momentum. In terms of you building momentum this
year, because you haven't had so much, this match, where the first set you
got through a tight one then the second set you got to run away with it, if
you build on this tomorrow, do you think you're getting going?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I have to build on it. I think my returns helped me out
today. They were real tough yesterday. But as far as momentum, I think I just
kept getting it today in the match. It's something that you do build on
throughout the year and throughout the tournament and throughout the match.
So, yeah, it's an important factor.

Q. You're playing someone like Schiavone next, who ideally would be the
opponent you'd build momentum against, but she has a different style, is that
going to be difficult for you?

VENUS WILLIAMS: It will be a different style because Daniela, she has the
ability to press the point and to hit winners, where against Schiavone, maybe
her strength is more or less to get a lot of balls back, try to frustrate
you. So if anything against Schiavone, I'll have a lot more time to do
exactly what I want to do.

Q. When you're playing at your peak, do you just have that automatic sense of
when the key points are and what to do? Or tonight, for example, are you
trying to figure out what to do?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, really I was just making mistakes and probably pressing
too hard. I really wanted to win. She really wanted to win (laughing). So it
was interesting, at least that part, to see how motivated she was. So I was
like, "Pick it up, pick it up."

Q. Good tennis?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was good tennis. Even in the second set there was
good tennis but I just kept winning the points. Yeah, I started to feel good
and I think it was tough for her because a lot of the shots maybe I was
missing early in the second I stopped missing. I was able to cover the court
well, and she was, too. So that was good. I think if she plays like that,
she's going to win a lot more matches for sure.

Q. How did you feel sort of mentally and physically versus yesterday?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Mentally, I felt better. Tried to be more clear going into
the match. Yesterday I knew what I did wrong. But yesterday was more windy
and I played quite a different player yesterday. So today was possibly a bit
easier because I was kind of warmed up and better into it and things like
that.

Q. Yesterday sort of helped?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, definitely.

Q. In terms of adjusting your game for tonight, how did you turn the tables?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Just the errors, I had to stop the errors. I think even today
I was hitting some really good shots. Then she would hit one in the corner
and she had me a lot on the defense. But even with that, I'm a good player on
the defense because I can hit a lot of shots that are still very forcive when
I'm on the defense. So I think that helped a lot. But she played good. I was
just trying to make sure I had an answer for everything.

Q. How close did you feel today to the zone of your best tennis?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Not close. I'm never happy. I think that I started definitely
doing the things I'm used to doing, which is playing well and having an
answer for each shot my opponent has and really just competing well. And that
was nice. But I just always felt like, "I got to pick it up, I got to do
better." So tomorrow hopefully I'll even do more.