BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS

October 19, 2014

Serena Williams

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE

ANDREW KRASNY:  Ladies and gentlemen, Serena Williams.

Q.  You've been around so long at the top of the game.  What keeps you coming
back for more?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, I love tennis and I love the sport.  I've been,
especially lately, having so much fun just competing when normally people
have retired and gone on with their lives.
You know, I've just been having such a great time winning titles, chasing
different goals that I have personally.  I've been enjoying every minute of
that.

Q.  You had your knee injury in China Open and you pulled out of Wuhan with
an illness.  How are you feeling?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Surprisingly enough, I feel okay.  I was really nervous.  I
wasn't sure if I would be able to make it to this tournament.
But I'm here, and I'm really-- I feel better than I did obviously in China.
 I am just getting better every day hopefully.

Q.  At this point of the season everyone is a little bit more tired, maybe
physically picking up a bit more knocks here and there.  How hard is it
keeping your head in the game now that the finish line is in sight?  Does
that make it easier?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  You know, for me, this season has been a lot less stressful
than last season.  I played a lot more matches last year than I have this
year, so, you know, I feel really more fresh than I have in the past couple
of years.
So I feel like that's one advantage that hopefully I'll have going into this
last tournament of the year.

Q.  You went back to Europe after the China Open, and I believe you spoke
with doctors about the knee and everything.  Can you give us a little bit
more detail as to what was going on there?  And are you able to practice and
play without strapping or anything like that now?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, I've went back to Europe and talked with the doctors.
 I actually just started hitting on Monday.  They thought it was very bad for
me to hit sooner than that.
So we just worked together, and, yeah, Patrick kept me off the court.  He's
like, You cannot hit; you cannot do this; you cannot do that.  You have to
just relax.  Which was very difficult for me to do.
After that, I just, like I said, started training.  I was surprised at how
well I was able to kind of jump back into it.

Q.  How important is the year-end No. 1 ranking to you?  And if you had
already had it locked up, do you think you would be here?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I definitely would be here if I already had it locked up.
 It's obviously super important for me.  I love being No. 1; I love being the
best.
But at this at the same time, I'm really glad that I was able to get a slam
this year, which was really annoying for me that I wasn't able to capture one.
That was something that was super, super, super important, especially for the
goals that I was trying to reach.

Q.  This week the WTA gave a fine to Shamil Tarpischev for a remark he made
about you and Venus.  What's your reaction to that and the punishment he got?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I think the WTA did a great job of taking initiative and
taking immediate action to his comments.  I thought they were very
insensitive and extremely sexist as well as racist at the same time.  I
thought they were in a way bullying.
I've done the best that I can do, and that's all I can say.  So I just wasn't
very happy with his comments.  I think a lot of people weren't happy as well.
But the WTA and the USTA did a wonderful job of making sure that -- in this
day of age, 2014 for someone with his power, it's really unacceptable to make
such bullying remarks.

Q.  On a lighter note, I'm a fan.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Thank you.

Q.  Which is why I have this book of yours.  A lot has happened since this
publication.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah.

Q.  Are you planning on a sequel?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I'm not planning on a sequel, I'm planning on a series, I
guess.  Yeah, because you're right, a lot has definitely happened.  I think
it's time I pick up the pen again.  Actually I have picked up a pen and I've
been writing a lot.
I mean, I wrote that book and I had a lot of help with it.  This time it's
been a lot of me doing most of the writing.  So, yeah, again, it's become one
of those series that's book one, book two, book three.  We'll have to see
this year.

Q.  Back to the year-end No. 1 ranking, how aware are you of the different
scenarios where you would lock it down?  Do you think it adds an extra
element of excitement to this tournament knowing it's in the balance?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I think it definitely adds an extra element of excitement.
 At the end of the day, I don't let that stress me out.  I'm just happy to be
here.  I really didn't think I was going to be able to come, like I said
before.  With that, I don't feel a great amount of pressure.
I'm just really excited to have made it to the WTA's biggest event at the end
of the year.  You know, I'm going to do my best, give my best, and hopefully
that'll lead me to this wonderful trophy.  If not, I won't have any regrets.
I just will have next year to look forward to.

Q.  Everyone says you're the oldest in the competition, but obviously that
makes you the most experienced.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah.

Q.  Could you just let us know how that experience helps you and will help
you in this tournament.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, you know, I've had a lot of experience for years now.
 I think there's a lot of players here that have a tremendous amount of
experience; there are several Grand Slam champions here.
So I think the experience is great; it helps me to be able to win matches;
helps me to be able to stay calm on the court.
That isn't my expertise, but something I'm still growing and trying to work
on.

Q.  You mentioned the books.  Do you think when you're done you'll do an
Agassi style sort of warts and all memoire of yourself, or do you think
you'll still keep some things close to the vest?  There is a mystery about
you.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, as a tennis player, every day we have a press
conference or we have to talk a little bit about our lives.  I'm an open
person, an open individual.
So, you know, there is definitely some things I had pinned down and I think
would be fun.  Other than that, I don't really have as much to say maybe as
Andre did.
I'm not sure.  Who knows?

Q.  Do you keep a list of things that happen in your life, like a diary?  Are
you that kind of person?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I'm definitely not a diary person.  I think that was really
popular in the '80s, but lately I haven't-- if something odd happens to me or
if something traumatic happens to me I've been writing it down.  I feel like
it's a little therapy for me.  In 2014 it's a little more digital, so it's
definitely not handwritten.
I think my hand would cramp.  Yeah, so...

Q.  A lot of the younger players have been saying that they don't really like
to have friends on tour and they're not here to make friends.  You have this
friendship with Wozniacki.  Growing up, was that always the case when you
were younger as a tennis player?  Did you always have friends on tour?  Is
this something that has come about when you're older and more mature?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  It's definitely something that's come about when I'm older.
 Some people you just have a connection to.  It's not about whether you're
friends with them or not.  It's just about you have this attraction without
even trying.
I think with Caroline, even when she was younger, we've always had this
little connection.  The older we both got it got stronger and stronger.
 Yeah, we just really get along great.  We're the best of friends.  She helps
me; I help her.
We love that and it's great.  I'm the kind of person that always says hello
to everyone.  I try to be as professional as I can in the locker room and
outside of the locker room.  I don't have anything against anyone.
Life is far too short and there are so many things that are so much more
important in life than, you know, hitting a tennis ball.  Things do last
longer than tennis.
I think if you do have a good friendship, even if it's one, it's worth it.

Q.  Four more years playing, is it possible for you?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  Four more years?

Q.  Yeah.
SERENA WILLIAMS:  I don't think about it.  I go day by day, you know, hour by
hour.  Lately I've just been living my life minute by minute just trying to
get through each minute.
Obviously I'm entered in tons of events next year, and obviously the year
after is the Olympics.  I have goals for myself, so I just wanted to kind of
try to see how far I can get in terms of reaching my goals and see what
happens.

Q.  In your opinion, which is the difference between being a champion and a
talented player?
SERENA WILLIAMS:  That's a really good question.  I think being a talented
player, usually the most talented players aren't usually the best players.  I
think being a champion is the one that works the hardest and maybe has to
work harder than everyone else because they're not as good and things don't
come as easy for them as someone else would.
So for me, it's just I think that's the difference.

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