DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 20, 2014

Serena Williams

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

S. WILLIAMS/J. Jankovic
6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Feel a lot more comfortable than the first match?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  It definitely felt a lot more comfortable.  I think it
looked a little more comfortable.
There are some shots today that I missed that I would never have missed a
month ago, so I'm still getting a little rust off.
But it feels good.  I'm still trying to make sure I keep going in the right
direction.

Q.  There was one point where you pulled right up and there was a scream, and
everyone thought, Oh, no.  And then you were all right.  What happened?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I don't know.  I kind of was running and my shoe slipped
and I misfooted and I hyperextended my leg a little bit.  It was weird.
So it was fine, though.

Q.  It didn't hurt?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  For like a half a second.  Then after that it was gone.  It
was fine.

Q.  Could you tell us what happened at the finish, a few words with Jelena?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Oh, I told her at the end, I was like, Look, I didn't mean
anything, I'm sorry if I played slow.
She was like, No, it was more like they say she plays too fast and they say
she plays too slow.  She said she couldn't get right.  What is it?  I need to
know which one I'm doing.   So it was what it was.
Jelena is a great competitor and she leaves everything on the court, and you
have to appreciate that, as do I.  That was all that was.
I just wanted to make sure.  I don't like to have a beef with anyone.  I was
like, Look, are we cool?  Because I'm cool with you.  I'm sorry if anything
didn't go right.

Q.  You leave it on the best terms?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  For me, always.  I'm here to have fun.  I love playing
tennis, coming on the tour, seeing everyone week to week.  They become more
than just players.  They become almost like a family even if we don't talk.
 It's just, you know, it's a respect.
That's what I have for everyone.  I always want to keep it that way, always.

Q.  We have a regular dialogue with Rafa about the 25 seconds, whether it's
right or wrong.  What do you think?  Sometimes it seems a little bit quick.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  It definitely seems quick.  I don't know.  I try to play
within the 25 seconds, but I think tonight some of those seconds were about
three to five seconds.
So it I wasn't quite ready on those seconds.  I tried to go a little faster,
but I definitely need at least 10 to 15 seconds to get ready for the next
point.

Q.  Can you tell me what you like about this tournament?  Your third time
here.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I like Dubai.  It's a great place to come.  You know, what
I like most about it  is just the city.  I go to a restaurant, and I see a
guy and he's like, I'm from NewYork.  And another guy, they are all staff,
and he's from London.  Another guy is from Nigeria.  Another guy is from Asia.
And it's an incredible mix of people from absolutely everywhere in the world.
 It is a beautiful, beautiful thing.  Everyone is just treated the same, so
it's just great.  I love it.

Q.  Is it nice to have Venus in the semis with you?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  It is.  It's really great.  She's such an inspiration.
 She's the ultimate inspiration.  I think her story is the greatest for me to
go through what she's going through.
I probably would have kind of hung up my racquets and maybe played some
doubles.  She has so much courage to show up week in and week out and play.
 That's what I call courage.

Q.  She said earlier that the family has been so supportive of her.  They
even changed their lifestyle in some ways.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah.

Q.  How is that?  What changes have you made?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, she's changed her lifestyle.  She used to eat
different things.  Believe it or not, she's thinner.  I never ate as bad as
her.  I guess that's my luck.
But she changed her diet.  She became-- she calls herself a cheagan, because
she used to eat a lot of beef.  I never ate beef.  So every blue moon I will
see her eating a steak, but literally twice a year, maybe once a year.
She calls herself a cheagan.  She changed her lifestyle.  She had to because
of her illness.

Q.  She said the family has, as well.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I know.  We live together.  My mom started, and then I
started.  I felt like I can't bring bad things in the house.  And I love to
cook, so I learned how to cook -- well, raw, and I learned how to cook vegan
and stuff like that.  So it was a great experience for us all.
It's a great way to live.  It's so healthy.  Forget tennis and everything.
 It's just about living a healthy lifestyle and being the best person you can
on the inside and healing your body from the inside out.

Q.  How would you feel about playing her in the final here?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I have to win, so I'm not thinking about that.  I still
have another tough match, so I'm not thinking about it.

Q.  You said you might well have retired if it was not for Venus?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  No, no, no.  If I were Venus, I probably would have been
like, Well, I might just play doubles or I might just do this.
But her spirit and her, like, it's just amazing because I know what she goes
through more than anyone else here, and sometimes she's doing great and
sometimes it's different and it's difficult.
She might lose matches that she would normally win 10 times out of 10, but to
accept that and keep going is really amazing.

Q.  Have you told her that?  Have you told her, God, if it was me, I think I
would have probably hung up a racquet?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Not that in particular, but we have talked a lot and I have
told her a lot of things.

Q.  She seems very healthy this year, this season.  She's been playing well?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  She's doing better.  She doing a little better.  She's
doing better every day.  Some days it depends.  But, yeah, she's doing okay.

Q.  What do you make of her tennis, generally, from Venus' old, the Grand
Slam-winning Venus?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  She's getting there.  She's taking it one step at a time.
 She's not playing her best at all.
But the best thing about it is she can play so much better, and she's moving
forward.  She's not moving backwards.
That's always a good thing.  I think she can get there again.

Q.  How about you?  Have you felt bad at all this week?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  No, no, I didn't.  Not at all, actually.  So far so good.
 I want to keep it like that.  I feel like I need wood (indicating a knocking
motion with knuckles).

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports