U.S. OPEN

September 3, 2017

Venus Williams

New York, NY, USA

V. WILLIAMS/C. Suarez Navarro

6-3, 3-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Before we start, Venus will not be making any statement
regarding Serena. If you need an official statement for your stories, the
official statement is: No comment. At the end of the day, this is still a
family matter and personal matter, so we ask that you respect her privacy in
this particular instance, and we'll entertain all tennis questions. Thank you.

Q. You said earlier on the court you have to have the love, and you're going
to try. How did you come to that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Love for the game?

Q. Yes.
VENUS WILLIAMS: You do have to have a love because it's a lot of work. Being
a professional athlete is a lifestyle. It's like your life. Every decision
you make is based on getting better out there. So there are sacrifices you
make with your family, your loved ones, you know, just doing normal things
like sitting on your own couch that are taken for granted.

You have to have the love to deal with the pressure, as well.

Q. What was going through your mind heading into the third set? What helped
get you through that match?
VENUS WILLIAMS: In the beginning of the second, she definitely caught fire.
There were probably a few points I could have converted on. But honestly it
was all credit to her for really stepping up her level.

I think in the third set maybe she was a little nervous, and it was an
opportunity for me to be even more aggressive. That's what I tried to do.

Q. You seemed so happy after the match. Is there something different or more
special about the US Open for you than maybe some of the other slams?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, I was happy about this match because, you know, she
wasn't seeded here, but obviously she knows how to play. She's played deep in
the majors. She's won big titles. This was my best match, so I was happy to
see my level rise as the tournament is continuing because I know my opponents
are going to be better, I need to be better. To be able to be out there and
execute things that I wanted, it was a good feeling.

Q. You may get Muguruza next, which would be a rematch of the Wimbledon
final, a month and a half from that match. What do you think of that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: If I play her, we've played more than once. I've had some
wins against her. She's had a couple against me this year that I'm going to
have to think back to and, you know, obviously learn from.

It was a big moment for her. I'm happy for her. I was happy for her in that
moment really actually. I know what that feels like to win a big title. There
was nothing I could do but be happy for her, get ready for the next one.

Q. If the opponent is Petra, what do you make of what she's gone through from
an outsider's perspective? You haven't seen what went into her comeback. From
your perspective as somebody who has been through many challenges, what are
your thoughts on what's gone on in her life and in her comeback this year?
VENUS WILLIAMS: What she's gone through is unimaginable, unreasonable. The
world we live in is just shocking. So for her, I think to be playing well is
such a blessing. To be able to come out here and do what she needs to do, to
clear her head, it's such a beautiful thing to see.

What else can I say except I'm glad to see her back.

Q. You said many times that your toughest rival is your sister. I'm sure you
miss her greatly on the one hand. In a way, not having your greatest rival
here, do you think that relaxes you?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No, not really. I like having her here.

Q. How is your mindset different at Grand Slams these days than it was way
back when when you first won them? I'm not sure if you remember what the
feeling was way back then.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, the depth in the game is so much deeper now than it
was at the time. It's never easy to win a slam. I mean, now I'll play players
who I've never seen or know their name, and you can't let up one point.
Players come out with a lot more confidence now. Every time I step out on the
court, that person is coming for me. It doesn't matter if I played for a
year, not even if I'm ranked 100 or number whatever, they're coming for me.

When I get to these majors, I know that's what it is.

Q. What do you know now that you didn't know maybe even five or ten years ago
about how to dig yourself out of things, confront situations?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think I was always very good actually at digging
myself out. But I think over time I've learned that I can push myself a lot
further than I thought I could. I do have to push myself a lot.

I think that's the biggest thing that I've learned. In the beginning, when
everything is easy, you're healthy, it's easy to play when you don't have
those odds against you. But when you have the odds against you, it's hard to
find that in yourself every day.

Q. You share an anniversary at the US Open with this stadium. When you think
back to that, what do you think about the Venus then with beads and all that?
What is your recollection? What stands out the most to you of you back then?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think at that time during the Open, something just
clicked for me. Just understanding, like, how to win these matches. So that
was huge.

I think during this time, too, you don't think. I didn't think. I just went
big all the time (smiling). That's fun, too. But over time you have to learn,
like, the time to go big and the time not to go big.

Obviously it was a very beautiful moment for me. After that I never looked
back, I just went bigger. It was awesome.

Q. It happened a long time ago that you won the title here. Is it crazy that
you're the only one left here in the draw that's actually won this
championship? Does it give you any type of advantage?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I'll take any advantage I can get, let's face it. But at the
end of the day when I go out there and someone's across the net from me,
they're playing well. They're playing well. They're not going to give you any
matches. In the case if they do, I will accept it, as well, if they don't
play as well as they want. I'm accepting all major credit cards and unforced
errors (smiling).

Q. When did the moment change between the time where you were going big all
the time to when you maybe got a little bit smarter or just chose those
moments when you went big?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Definitely, yeah, probably in '97. But also there's moments,
too, where you lose matches because you didn't go big enough. There's so many
things you learn, especially as a young person. Like, okay, I'm never doing
that again, I didn't go for it. This time I went for too much. You have to
find that happy medium and you have to choose. If you're going to go big, you
got to put it in the court.

The surface is so much different than it was, let's say, when I played then.
It's a lot slower. You are not necessarily rewarded for coming in because the
ball's going to sit up. There's differences, and your game has to evolve with
all of that.

Q. A great run here on the 20th anniversary of the stadium opening, named
after a great man. What do you know about Ashe? Have you read some of his
work or about him? Where do you think he fits into this dynamic in tennis
where there's so many forces for change?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, he's a total legend. He played during a time where he
couldn't just focus on the tennis. I'm very blessed to be able to focus on my
game. But he had to fight because of the color of his skin. It was a complete
different time. So I can't even imagine the pressure he was under during that
time.

To come out of it with grace, as a champion, it's incredible.

Q. You spoke a little while ago about some of the differences between your
game now and your game years ago. What about your appreciation of your own
success? How does it compare now with when you were just a kid on the tour?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think success breeds success. If you win, you learn how to
win, and you win more. But I'm firmly a person that lives in the future. I
don't get nervous or tight because I have to defend points or because I won a
tournament last year. I don't care about the last year. I'm about, Is this
win happening today?

I don't know. I'm very focused on the next result. No, I don't focus on any
success. I'm looking forward.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports