TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 24, 2013

Serena Williams

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

S. WILLIAMS/P. Kvitova
6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  When you go out on court these days, do you even imagine you can lose?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Every time I step out on the court, yeah, it's possible.

Q.  So that helps you maintain focus?  Because your level basically all year
except for a few matches have been pretty focused.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I think in those --yeah, I think I played as best as I
could at that time in those four matches.  All of them were three sets.  I
definitely had opportunities in all those four matches.
But, yeah, everybody can lose.  I can lose my next match.  I don't know.  I'm
just here to do the best I can, and then if I win or if I lose, then it is
what it is.

Q.  But when you come into here, eight of the best players in the world,
Sharapova aside, you know you're going to be challenged and you go out there
today and you know she's dangerous, does it help you focus more?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, for sure.  You know, when I play top players or a
Grand Slam winner, such as Kvitova who has such a dangerous game, you've got
to go in there knowing that anything can happen and I have to be really
focused.  That was just what I did.

Q.  She had three chances in the first game.  Did you really kind of think
this start, you wanted to get off to a good start and that could be really
important?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, something told me to hold serve in that game, and I'm
glad I did.  Could have definitely changed things.  I could still be out
there.
I really just dug deep and tried to hold.

Q.  Seems like with Petra, in a lot of her matches because she hits so hard
when she hits a clean, blazing winner up the line, a lot of players can get
sort of rattled by it sometimes.  You seemed to shake it off pretty well
tonight especially.  Is that easy to do when there is a point that goes by
that you couldn't do anything about, to shake it off?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, when you play someone that's capable of hitting
winners, you know that they're going to be able to do that.
So I'm not going to stress out about it and --yeah, so especially playing
her, you know she's capable of hitting a winner from anywhere on the court,
especially the last time we played.  She was just hitting winners left and
right.
So I just didn't think too much about them.

Q.  What's most pleasing to you about the way you're playing right now?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Just my focus.  You know, I think, you know, not anything
tangible.  I would just say my focus is what's pleasing me most of all.

Q.  Particularly good serving performance tonight, both aces and also what
you were doing in the clutch.  When you take on a player like Petra, is that
particularly just a tactic, like you walk out there knowing you have to serve
big, or it was clicking tonight and you were just serving big?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  It was definitely clicking tonight.  I just knew that-- you
know, I think her serve is really big, so I knew I wanted to hold.  I served
well.  Ironically I served well against both lefties.  I don't know.

Q.  There was an announcement today that Patrick was involved in about the
use of stats, and there's going to be more and more of it as years go by and
coaches are going to have more information to deal with.  Are you actually
someone who pays much attention to statistical evidence of your own game or
the opposition?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  No, in the past I have not paid a lot of attention to
stats, but I think stats are very important.  Recently, since the WTA has
been able to merge with the new partner, I have been looking more into stats.
I really believe in change, and I think technology can really help a player.
 And having that opportunity to have different types of stats on different
players, it can only help you, so I'm a big fan of it.

Q.  You've got a day off tomorrow now.  Will you watch any of the matches, or
what will you do?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I'm definitely going to watch the matches.  I enjoy
watching the tennis, so I'll do that.  And then just lollygag around.
 Nothing serious.

Q.  At what point do you start focusing before you get on the court, an hour,
hour and a half, half hour, when you tell people, Okay, I've got to lock in,
think about it, stop talking to me?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  That's an interesting question.  I think I'm always
focused.  I think even though I'm talking or I might laugh, I think, you
know, always in the back of my mind I can't, simply can't relax unless I'm
not at a tournament, and even then I still can't relax.
I think actually I talk more than usual.  I used to like not speak, not do
anything, not even look at people in my team, but now I can actually say
hello.

Q.  Boxers, before a fight, they sit down for 10 minutes and say, Everyone
get out of the room.  I want to lock in.  Would you rather talk now and not
get distracted?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  After 15 years, if you can't do it, then it's never going
to happen.  That's how I feel.  So I have to be able to at least relax.  I
don't need those ten minutes.

Q.  Aga was in here talking about how when vacation starts for her in the
off-season she will try not to think about tennis at all.  Is that
something...
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Who?

Q.  Radwanska.  When she was in here earlier, she was saying she was not
going to think about it for the next two weeks or try not to.  Can you do
that at this point in your life, have an hour where you don't think about
tennis?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, of course I can.  I think there's a lot of times I
don't think about tennis, and I think that is one of the reasons I'm able to
be able to enjoy it now so much more, because I can completely detach myself,
and then I can completely reattach myself at the same time.  Works well for
me.

Q.  Do you have tennis dreams or nightmares, like vivid ones?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I have a reoccurring nightmare that's always during Grand
Slam finals.  Not every time, but a lot of the times.  I dream that I leave,
I'm in Australia and I leave the country to go do something in the States,
and I don't make it back in time.

Q.  And you get defaulted?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yes.  And Venus has this nightmare, too.

Q.  The same one?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, the same one.

Q.  Australia?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, Wimbledon I had it a few times.  It's very disturbing.

Q.  You're just full of anxiety when you get up?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I think so.  It's just the worst dream ever (rolling eyes),
the worse way to lose a match.  I was like, I didn't know what I have to get
and I have to fly all the way back to get it.

Q.  Matt's not in the dream, is he?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  He's in there asking me lots and lots of questions.

Q.  And she's tired of it?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yes.  I'm like, Matt, leave me alone, and I miss my match
because of Matt.

Q.  So it's all my fault?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  It's all your fault.
Thanks, Neil.  I forgot about that part.  Thank you.

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