October 1, 1999


Venus Williams

MUNICH, GERMANY


WTA: Questions for Venus.

Q. Were you surprised how easy the first set was?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, because I've been practicing to work on most things,
coming in, playing aggressive, do the best of your ability to move in. It was
a good thing. I started losing serve. When you start losing serve, the
opportunities are less and less, and my opportunities faded.

Q. You were ahead 4-1 in the second set. What happened? She said you let her
back in the game. Seemed like she was playing a lot better. What was your
view?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I definitely let her back in the game, I would have to say
so. I made a lot of unforced errors. I didn't hold serve at all. She had two
easy breaks I think at 40-Love. That way, it's pretty easy to get back in the
match. Still went to 7-6. Third set, still kind of shaky. I was down. I
didn't want to lose. I wanted to come out the victor for once.

Q. What was going through your mind when you let her back in the match?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Nothing. I thought I was going to close it out. It didn't
turn out that way. I really thought I was just going to hold and break, just
win the match.

Q. You came in on every possible occasion. Do you think, seeing that her
serve is not her strongest point, that will always be the tactic you use
against her in the future?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Things change. She could come out with a 200 kilometer serve.
I don't think that's going to happen. You might see me coming in in the
future.

Q. Any special satisfaction after the US Open? A possible revenge in your
mind?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don't believe in revenge. A loss is still a loss. No
matter what happened, I still lost at the US Open. I didn't play worth
anything. That's why here I made sure I played better, win, lose or draw.

Q. Some people talk about the US Open semifinal being one of the best matches
played this year.

VENUS WILLIAMS: No.

Q. You don't agree?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, no, no. Did you see me play?

Q. Parts of it.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I was playing some of my worst tennis, definitely. It was
pretty sad for me because I wouldn't go out there and play good. I just made
a lot of bad decisions. I just had the wrong idea.

Q. Today, how close to your best game were you playing?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I was playing good for a little while. Still at the end I was
playing well because I was moving forward and taking the opportunities,
coming in and making my shots. For me, that's a good thing. It's not all
about just now, it's also about the future.

Q. How do you see the future?

VENUS WILLIAMS: As always, I see it going my way, but it doesn't always
happen.

Q. Do you think the days of Martina being No. 1 are numbered?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I myself would love to be No. 1. I know Serena wants to be
No. 1. Most likely Lindsay wants to be No. 1. We're all trying our best.
Right now she's at the top, and she deserves to be there. One day I'll
deserve that spot, too.

Q. How important is the rest of the indoor season now for you? Are you
already with one part of your brain in Australia?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, definitely not. That's a long way away. I can still do a
lot of damage this year.

Q. What are the tournaments you're playing?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm playing Zurich, Philadelphia and the Chase.

Q. What do you think about Serena's chances for the final?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think she'll be able to do well. She has a pretty good
record against Lindsay. They play good matches always. But Serena most of the
time, three out of four times, has come out the winner. Yeah, I think
Serena's chances are very good.

Q. Is it an advantage to play the first match or a disadvantage to play late
in the evening when you don't know how long the other matches take?

VENUS WILLIAMS: When you're playing the first matches, you know what time
you're going to play. Either way, I've played all factors at all times. I'm
ready to play anytime. To me, it's nice when you're the first match.

Q. Will you take time now to have a look around Munich, the Oktoberfest?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Someone took us to the Oktoberfest. We got to see a lot.

Q. Can you specify?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Some things I won't specify. People were dancing, having a
jolly time - sometimes too jolly. I don't think they knew what they were
doing at times. We weren't so close to the middle of the house; the outside
where people really weren't dancing.

Q. Did you try any beer at Oktoberfest?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. I'm here to play a tournament. I can't have beers.

Q. What did you drink?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I've never had a beer.

Q. Maybe if you tried the Oktoberfest beer, you'd never stop.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Actually, I shouldn't have any beer, as a US citizen, until
I'm 21. Shouldn't be having beers.

Q. About the final, do you have any preference of who you'd rather play, any
thoughts or worries that it might be your sister?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Naturally I'd love Serena to get to the final. If for some
odd reason it doesn't happen, I'll be ready to play Lindsay. I played her 11
times in my career. I think I know what I'm doing against her.

Q. Martina just said she possibly underestimated this tournament. Is there
any difference of this tournament or with the others because there's no
points here?

VENUS WILLIAMS: It would be great if there were points here. Still everybody
plays real hard. In that sense, there isn't a difference. If there are
points, it would just be a plus.

Q. Last year in the men's competition, Cedric Pioline lost one match 0-0. Has
the women's competition changed since last year, has it become tougher?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Last year I played Sanchez the first round, Tauziat and
Patty. This year I played Schett, who is actually playing some of the best
tennis of her life. She actually deserves to be in the Top 10. I played
Martina. This year I've played some tougher players, but still I've won.