QATAR TOTAL OPEN

February 12, 2013

Serena Williams

DOHA, QATAR

S. WILLIAMS/D. Gavrilova
6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Well done.  Were you pleased to get through that smoothly without any
apparent difficulty?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah.  Definitely was happy to get out of it, get it over
with.

Q.  Did you seek to play with economy and care and smoothly to avoid
exacerbating any problems?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I think I did a little bit.  I think mostly how I have been
playing is just trying to play smooth and avoid problems and do the things
that I've worked on.

Q.  So what's your main feeling, relief, or what do you feel about it?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I'm just --not relief, nothing.  Just let's go on to the
next round now.

Q.  So just to follow up on that with the ankle and the back, physically how
did you feel?  How did it hold up?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  It held up good.  I have it heavily taped.  It held.  As
long as the tape doesn't get loose, it feels really good.

Q.  Beyond the victory, just coming off feeling good must be an
accomplishment or satisfactory?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, absolutely.  Physically feeling better is so good,
and hopefully I can stay on that level.

Q.  One thing that I noticed, the first serve you struggled with and seemed a
little frustrated out there.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, I wasn't making my first serve today.  It's always
something I can work on and try to do better in my next round, to get more
first serves in.

Q.  Have you been able to watch some performances of the Grammy Awards?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  No.  I didn't see any of it.
I never turn on my TV.

Q.  I see.  We are discussing about the boys band, the British one, One
Direction.  Do you like this band?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah.  You know what?  I think I'm too old for One
Direction.  As far as I go is Justin Bieber.  That's kind of where I have
stopped.  I love Justin Bieber.  I don't really know One Direction.
Yeah.  Sad.

Q.  You're not too old for Justin?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Not too old for Justin Bieber.  Nobody's too old for Justin.

Q.  They're about the same year old.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Oh, really?  Whew.  That's a relief.  That's a relief.
 (Laughter.)

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports