U.S. OPEN

September 5, 2017

Venus Williams

New York, NY, USA

V. WILLIAMS/P. Kvitova

6-3, 3-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Did that feel like a special match out there with the crowd, the
atmosphere, the way you both were playing?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely felt like a special match. No easy moments,
not easy to hold serve or break serve. This match meant a lot to me,
obviously, playing at home and of course it being a major.

It means a lot to her, you know, coming back and being able to compete in
this major and to prove obviously to herself that, you know, she could defeat
anything no matter what's thrown at her. It was amazing to see her shine
today.

Q. Your sister is not here, but you're representing the family, the team, as
well as anybody. Is there some extra joy in that, that you're pumping it out
there, Girl? You were the first one that ever told me she has your back; you
have her back. I never heard that expression until I heard it from you.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Where you been? (Laughter.) It's been a while.

Q. Big year for you, especially here. Reflecting on your journey over the
last six years when you had to drop out in 2011, how would you describe that
period?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Wow. I would describe that period as six years (smiling).

Q. But the journey itself from -- you know, I don't know what your frame of
mind was then, but to where you are now.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, at the time, the frame of mind is as an athlete and as
myself, I don't accept limitations. So it took a while to accept some
limitations.

But it doesn't mean that the glass is half empty. I saw it as half full.
Whatever I had, I had to do the best I could with that and to be the
strongest that I could and be reprehensible for each and every shot that I
hit.

That's how I saw these last six years.

Q. Granted, it wasn't a Grand Slam final, but where do you put this match in
sort of hierarchy of great wins, especially in light of the fact that she had
beaten you three times in a row, twice in tiebreakers in your last few
matches?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, our last few matches, I mean, if you can imagine the
quality of this match was high, I would say the others were even higher. A
lot of times in those matches I just felt a little unlucky. Like she would
hit these amazing shots out of nowhere, and all I could do was say, Well
done. I never really did anything wrong in those matches.

Sometimes you have opportunities and sometimes you take them and you don't,
but it's not like you get opportunity after opportunity after opportunity in
these sorts of matches. You have to take the ones you have.

I was happy to have a little more luck today, actually.

Q. Does it feel like one of your best?
VENUS WILLIAMS: One of my best matches? I'm not into the whole best-match
thing. It's about winning the match you're in. Doesn't matter whether you're
playing well or not playing well. It's about figuring out how to win.

If you're out there thinking you have to play your best match every time,
you're not going to win these events. That's too much of a high expectation.

Q. When a person does something for a long time, they gain knowledge, savvy,
know-how. Talk about your experience over the years, how that has sort of
grown within you and how you call on it in a big match like tonight.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, these big matches, yeah, there have been times
where I have won these and there have been times I didn't win them. My
opponent was better. It made me go out and work harder. Either way, the
experience makes you grow.

Quite obviously I'd love to win these all the time (smiling). It's such a
wonderful feeling, because you put in so much work to be able to succeed at
these moments.

Q. When you came to the net, you seemed to give her a little curtsy or
something. Was that right?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I definitely don't curtsy. No, it's not a thing.

Q. No?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No.

Q. You mentioned opportunities before. You did have a lot of break
opportunities and had a tough time converting, and then at the crucial
moment, obviously you did. In the tiebreak, was there something you changed
in the way you were approaching her serves towards the end?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't get often to play a lefty. There was a bit of
different speed. I didn't feel like I returned as well the second serve on
the ad court. I had opportunities. And just the spin is different. And I was
hopefully able to make corrections through the match. You know, you'd like to
think it's not too late to get another opportunity to swing at it and swing
at it hopefully right.

Tiebreakers, you have to play smart but you have to be aggressive. You can't
just sit back and hope. I didn't want to hope. I wanted to, like, be doing
something about my future (smiling).

So I tried my best to be aggressive, and then to put it in the court, as well.

Q. Can you describe Venus the player in the early 2000s versus Venus the
player now? What kind of differences are there out there on the court?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Really? Early 2000s, I mean, I had perfect health. It was
great. I loved it. I was fortunate to have that moment in my life.

And now I'm still living my dream, and it's amazing.

Q. How much contact had you had with Petra after her unfortunate incident?
And if you have had contact with her off the court, what has been the nature
of the conversations that you have had with Petra?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I'm not in contact with a ton of players off the court.
I have got to be honest.

I mean, obviously I was wishing her well from afar, and, you know, sending
best wishes and all other stuff, too.

Q. Obviously Sloane won her match today, too. Two American women advancing as
far as you have so far and a chance for more. Is this a great day for
American women's tennis or just a great day for tennis?
VENUS WILLIAMS: It's been a great two weeks for American tennis. Seeing all
the American players in the draw and all of them advancing so deep and
competing so well.

All I have known all my life was great American players. So it's great to see
this resurgence, and I hope it can continue. I think both of us had to go
through a tiebreaker today. I think it's dramatic fashion and it's great to
see both of us go through.

Q. What are your thoughts now about facing Sloane and what will be the keys
to that match?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't think I have ever played her. Did I?

Oh, I don't know. Regardless, whatever happens, I have to focus on what's
happening on my side of the court. Make evaluations out there when I'm out
there in terms of strategy and see what's working.

Q. What is your appreciation for her comeback from the injury that she had?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I can't say I know a lot about her injury. I know she
couldn't walk for a while, but I don't know the specifics of her injury. It's
always a lot of work coming back. But she got started right away. Perhaps she
appreciates the game even more. I don't know. We have never talked about
that. I'm glad she's happy and healthy and winning.

Q. I know the fans were thinking a lot the last two or three points of the
tiebreaker. What were you thinking?
VENUS WILLIAMS: In the tiebreaker, you just want to create space, you know.
You want to create space. So when you see that gap opening bigger in your
favor, it feels amazing.

There is a point where you say, I'm not ever letting this go. That's kind of
what I felt like out there.

Q. Sloane has played really well since she came back. I'm wondering, when you
had injuries, did you come back hungry, wanting it more? Or was it a little
bit daunting coming back because you didn't quite know where you were at?
Between 2003 or '06?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I was always a tennis player, so every single day was
dedicated to getting back on tour.

In retrospect, I probably should have done other things, but every day was
still a day of how do I get better? Never lost track of that.

Q. This is a big year for anniversaries. Your 20th, the US Open. I'm just
curious, with regards to -- I could see on TV, at least, that you were a
little more conscious about the foot fault maybe in terms of stepping back a
little bit from the line. Was that something you were conscious of during the
match?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't really think about it. Maybe I should think about it
more once it happens once, but you really get caught up in the moment, and
you're just trying to hit a good serve. Hopefully it's not a foot fault on an
ace when you really need it.

Q. A little off tennis, but as a Floridian, when you leave home this time of
the year, do you leave the home hurricane-ready, and are you sitting here
following this Irma which looks like a big storm? Or you can't let that get
into your head?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I haven't watched Irma closely, but perhaps I should know
more. I have a lot of family and important people in Florida, and my whole
life is there. I need to understand what's happening, for sure.

Q. Is everything ready at the house? You just leave and whatever?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No, we only get ready for the storms if they happen, case by
case.

Q. When you look at your career, Serena's career, the careers of so many
players, say, going back to Monica Seles, Davenport, up to today, Kvitova,
and so many, WTA players come back from so many hardships, so many setbacks.
Could you talk about that? What does that show about the grit of these
athletes?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think sport is, you know, a little microcosm of life, and
it shows the human spirit, just being out there on the court, fighting
against all odds. If you're down, you keep going.

Great champions came back from injuries or circumstances they could never
have planned for. It's very encouraging for people to watch. You know, those
champions you mentioned helped, changed so many lives, motivated so many
people by being their best.

You never know whose life you'll touch just by being your best.

Q. Was there ever a point in this match where you felt like you had control
and things were going to be okay or that she had control and things were not
going to be okay?
VENUS WILLIAMS: You know, definitely when I had opportunities in the second
set and so many break points disappearing, you feel like, wow, I should be
doing more. You have to put it behind you. Then for 3-All, I felt, okay, now
I'm really ready to hold serve and not get broken anymore.

There were still moments where it was very close and you have to expect that.
You have to expect to fight through those close moments. Definitely I felt at
3-All, like, all right, here we go again.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports