THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WIMBLEDON

July 11, 2017

Venus Williams

Wimbledon, London, England

V. WILLIAMS/J. Ostapenko

6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Playing a player who you know has won a lot of matches lately, what are
the keys to get things on your terms and disrupt?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I know she had to be feeling confident. She played a great
match. Not a lot of errors.

I never played her. Watched her. Didn't really know what to expect. The
grass, of course, changes the game. So just a lot of factors.

I was really happy to come out on top.

Q. Yesterday you said winning never gets old. You've now been playing here
for 20 years, a hundred matches, 86 wins, five championships. How do you
describe why you've had such longevity as a player and also a winner here?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I love it. I try really hard. There's no other explanation.
You do your best while you can. That's what I'm doing.

Q. What is your level of enjoyment at this moment of what you're doing?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, I love this game. That's why I put in the effort and
the time. It's a beautiful game. It's been so good to me.

Q. There are athletes who absolutely get a kick out of beating people who are
about half their age. I'm sensing from you that's completely irrelevant to
you.
VENUS WILLIAMS: No, when you're out there, all you're thinking about,
especially at least on my side, all I can control is myself. In the thick of
the match, it's not in your head.

Q. Through the years, especially adjusting to life with Sjogren's, were there
moments when you worried or wondered whether you would return to the sort of
success you had earlier in your career, that you've been having over the last
year or so?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I just always felt like I have to keep trying. That's all I
felt like.

Q. You didn't know much about Ostapenko before this match. What sort of
impressions did she make?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, she went for a lot of shots. But I think, you know, she
probably felt like you're in the quarterfinals, so at that point you maybe
should go for a lot of shots.

She competed really well. She kept herself, you know, really in the game with
her attitude. I thought she just did a lot of things really well and kept it
close.

That's when you have an opportunity to hopefully maybe take a set or the
match. She did the right things to do that.

Q. Could you put into words your feelings why tennis is a beautiful game?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I love the challenge. I love pressure. It's not always easy
dealing with the pressure. There's constant pressure. It's only yourself who
can have the answer for that.

I love the last day you play, you're still improving. It's not something that
is stagnant. There's always a reason. You have to get better. I love that.

Q. In terms of the pressure of the game, what aspect of the game has helped
you grow the most?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Obviously I think competition with other players. The
competition keeps you growing. You have to get better if you want to stay
relevant.

Q. You said you didn't know much about today's opponent. If Jo gets through,
you played her five times. What sort of challenge is she going to pose? How
tough a match would that be, especially here at Wimbledon?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm sure she's confident and determined. She's probably
dealing with a different kind of pressure playing here at home. But she seems
to be handling it well.

It looks like she really does well under the pressure. I've played her
before, so it's a lot different than today.

Q. That pressure you talked about, you've been in that situation. This is new
for her. A lot of people are commenting about her not being affected by that.
VENUS WILLIAMS: What situation?

Q. In terms of having pressure on you, expectations on you. Now people are
thinking Jo is going to get to the final, she can win this. From an athlete's
point of view, how tough is that to cope with?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I think the pressure you put on yourself is
even tougher, for me, than any exterior pressure. So I don't know. I mean,
you may have to ask her.

Q. How important would you say your serve was today?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's definitely a real asset. Been working on that
serve. It's working out for me just in time, just for these later rounds. I'd
like to think that I can continue to rely on that as the matches continue.

Q. How would you describe the benefits of your experience, if you compare
yourself to how you were 10 or even 20 years ago?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I definitely think experience helps, for sure. For a lot of
the players I've played, it's their first time in the third round or the
quarterfinals, whichever, fourth round. So I have an opportunity to bank on
experience in having dealt with those sort of pressures before.

Q. How much work do you put into tennis nowadays, because you have so many
other things to do, designing, things like that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, lots. Trust me, lots of work. I think it shows.

Q. Last year you said you felt like you were 26 when you were 36. What does
age mean to you?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think about the definition of age. It's beautiful to
be at all ages really. That's my experience so far.

Q. You've played in your teens, 20s, 30s. What age do you feel like now?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I don't think about it. I feel quite capable,
to be honest, and powerful. So whatever age that is, as long as I feel like
that, then I know that I can contend for titles every time.

Q. You have played a lot of matches on Centre Court in your career. Has
anyone in the Royal Box ever caught your eye, that you remember, over the
years?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No. I never really look up at my boxes or any boxes really.
So no, not yet.

Q. Have you found out later that somebody was watching that you thought was
particularly cool?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Not yet. I think maybe they don't come to my matches, I guess
(smiling).

Q. What is it like being here this year without your dad or your sister?
VENUS WILLIAMS: They're definitely here with me, for sure. Even if it's not
physically, they're definitely here with me. That is one thing I do know.
They're fighting right alongside me.

Q. Do you notice the difference with them not being here in person?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Of course. But I had to get focused immediately on the
tennis, for sure. I miss them.

Q. If you were to play Jo in the semifinals, what challenges do you expect
from her playing style?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think we play a very similar style: aggressive, serve well,
return well, very solid off the ground. So really it's just about playing
that game better and see where you find openings on that day.

Q. Between points you seem very calm. You seem to have time to think. Is that
one difference between being 37 and 27, that your mind is kind of calmer, you
can reflect a bit more in the heat of a match?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think I've always been the way I am. That's just me. That's
how I operate. Other players play differently. That's just my mode.

Q. If you do face Halep, what particular challenges do you see in her?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I've never played her on grass, so I don't know what to
expect in terms of how she reacts to the grass. So that will be new. I have
to adjust as the match goes on. So we'll see.

Q. You played three players in a row who are 20 or younger. Can you try to
recall your early years breaking into the tour? There were some rough moments
both on court and in the locker room. How did you face it? Did you find it
daunting?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I never had a rough moment in the locker room, to be honest.
So pretty much nothing happening in there. I mean, I really went to the top
at a very young age, started winning titles. So that was my experience.
That's all I can say about that.

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