WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 16, 2012

Venus Williams

CINCINNATI, OHIO

V. WILLIAMS/S. Errani
6-3, 6-0

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Talk about your match today.  You just basically blew Errani off the
court today.  You were in great form.
VENUS WILLIAMS:  Yeah, you know, my match today was tough.  I made a lot of
errors.  I just felt like I can only play better today.  I think I came into
the match a lot more relaxed and confident because of that yesterday, which
was good news for me.
You know, I played her at the Olympics, too.  I was familiar with her game
because I just played her a few weeks ago.  I think that helped me a lot.

Q.  How about the second serve ace you hit out wide?  How did that make you
feel?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  I needed it.  She was looming on the backhand side so she
wasn't ready for that one.  That felt good.

Q.  Does it feel more special because you beat a top-10 player?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  Yeah, I played two seeds already, players who are having
exceptional years and being confident.
For me to be in this tournament and getting wins over both of those players,
it feels really good, actually.  I want to continue it tomorrow.

Q.  How much easier is it for you to progress through a tournament playing a
player like the caliber of Kirilenko in the first round as opposed to
somebody maybe lesser?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  That was good for me.  The first two matches helped me find
my range.  You have to hit a lot of balls.  Kirilenko is tenacious.  It
doesn't matter what the score is, she is giving 100% and she's going to find
a way to crawl back into the match.
You have to be mentally prepared to play against someone like her.  I think
that was an advantage for me.

Q.  At what point do you, in this year of your comeback from all this, do you
stop thinking, I just want to feel okay out there and start thinking, I'd
like a trophy by now with how well you're playing?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  I know.  I would love to have a trophy, but I have to earn
it.  No matter what my circumstance in life is I have to earn it just like
everyone else.  So obviously I have had some good results this year, actually.
That's been the icing on the cake.  You know, I already got what I wanted at
the Olympics this year, so everything else for me is like just amazing.

Q.  At the Olympics and here you have been playing kind of back-to-back
matches on back-to-back days.  We're about to go into the US Open where
you'll actually have a day off in between.  Are you looking forward to that,
having a little bit more time in between matches or is this actually good...
VENUS WILLIAMS:  As long as my partner will have me I will be playing doubles
in the US Open, but Serena told me we're playing doubles at Wimbledon so
that's when I knew I had to be ready.  I had no chance to play doubles in the
French, so she gave me an out.
But the doubles is, as you can tell, is very important to me.  Those titles
add up.  You know, those add to your Grand Slam count.  It feels very good.
I'll be going for both of those and I will be prepared.  The doubles is
easier for me because it takes less energy, so it's easier.  My partner helps
me a lot.

Q.  Is it nice to kind of be able to get back on court during those off days,
or would you rather have that full day off?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  I mean, it's nice to have a full day off, but when you're
going for both titles it takes a lot of focus, and I want both titles.  They
both mean a lot to me.
I never, never, never throw in the towel if I've lost in singles no matter
what.  I have been rewarded a lot of times with those titles.  For me, both
are important.

Q.  I saw that Varvara Lepchenko is wearing EleVen now.  How did that start
and are you planning on starting your range across the board with the WTA?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  Yeah.  Well, we just were team members at the Olympics, and,
you know, she expressed some interest to wear EleVen.  I thought, Oh, this
was awesome.  This is her first tournament.  I think she looks amazing in it.
 I don't think I'm biased (Laughter.)
I think she looked good.  Pink is a great color for her.  I think it's also
fun for her because you get to wear something different.  You get to express
yourself more.  You aren't wearing everything that, you know, everyone else
is wearing.
You feel good, because I like to think at least that EleVen, the clothes make
you feel good because you feel like you look great.  That's what EleVen is
really about.  I like to think she's taking it out there on the court with
her.

Q.  Are you trying to recruit more players, going to the ATP some day?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  Maybe a couple more; maybe even some men, as well.  I don't
think our aim is to like have a ton of players, but it's about people who
have the EleVen spirit, like very positive, feel good about themselves and
what they're doing.  That's what EleVen is about.

Q.  You left the court for a moment there in the second set.  What was going
on there?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  Bathroom break.  (Laughter.)

Q.  Heading into the US Open, the way the matches work out, best-of-three and
there is a tiebreak.  Does that affect, compared to the rest of the majors,
how do you see that?  Is that like a treat for you?  Is it much faster than
the other matches in other majors?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  The tiebreaker is sudden death.  A lot of ways you have to
be a lot more mentally prepared.  You feel like in the other tournaments you
maybe have a little more room for error, but the tiebreak is like, it's gonna
end.
So I guess in some way that makes it a little more pressure.  But hopefully
it doesn't come down to that.  Sometimes it does, but I'd like to win more
straightforward.  That would be great.

Q.  You play Stosur next.  What are your thoughts on that match?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  Yeah, we played a couple matches this year.  I played her in
Charleston.  I just felt like she played amazing.  She ripped every ball and
served so well.  I don't think she could have done any more in that match,
and it was actually still pretty close.
In Rome, I was able to win that match, and that was huge for me, because that
like basically qualified me for the Olympics.  So like I needed that match.
 I was so glad I got that one.
So this match is totally different circumstances from both of those.  I like
to think I'm playing better than I was at that time.  Trying to win,
basically.

Q.  I believe your dad's here this week.  Could you explain how much
involvement he still has with your game and Serena's game now and going
forward?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  Yeah, my dad, he loves tennis and he loves being on the
court with us.
You know, he has a lot of passion for it.  I think that's what it takes to
stay at this level for this long.  You have to love it, and I think that
Serena and I both love it.  He loves it, too.  It's like a perfect
combination.
He's very motivating for us.  We could play the worst match, but he keeps us
pumped.  That's what you need as well at this level is to feel that belief
and confidence.  He does that.

Q.  Does he share tactics with you with respect to opponents coming up?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  Oh, yeah, he knows them.  He doesn't pay as much attention
to the players as to our game.  Yeah, he nor my mom, they don't hardly know
who's who.  (Laughter.)
Q.You have had a lot of success in New York at the US Open, but if you could
change one thing about the US Open, what would that be?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  Oh, the site would be closer to the city.  You know, that
commute is tough.  You know, Labor Day weekend is awesome because it's like
the roads are clear.  (Smiling.)
That's the one thing I would change for sure.

Q.  It's been 10 years since you became the first African-American woman to
become No. 1.  You have accomplished a lot since then, but is that something
that's still important to you looking back now?
VENUS WILLIAMS:  Yeah.  I mean, I think before all my injuries and illnesses
I was 2 in the world and Serena was 1 and we were 1 in doubles.  We were
literally on top of the world until a lot of things came crashing down on us.
I'd like to work my way back.  Of course that's a dream for me and a goal for
me.  I dream of those things.  That's why I'm here, because I feel like I
still have it.
So it's one match at a time, pretty much.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports