Jelena Jankovic defeats Venus Williams
3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5)
Semifinal Round

DANNY KENDALL: We'll take questions for Venus.

Q. Venus, after such a fight, what do you regret?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, you know, that backhand volley I had, I think I just
thought about it too much. I could have just got it in or hit an angle or
anything. I mean it was a good match for me, and I feel like I'm playing
well, but it's tough, too, because I mean that was my fifth match in a row. I
was a little bit tired. So I was always just trying to encourage myself to
keep going, but it's a tough week, you know, five in a row on clay. It's hard.

Q. You haven't gone through a match like that lately. That was quite a
marathon.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. It was, and it was tough because sometimes I'd play
some good points, and then like, you know, then I'd make two errors in a row,
and it was tough because she wasn't really giving me any errors, but the
encouraging part is that, you know, if I just clean up my game some, I know I
can play a lot better and win that match a lot easier.

Q. Still hurts. You can tell.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm just tired. I've had a long week, and I did my best, and
I'm just going home.

Q. What about the serve? I think there was something like 13 or 14 double
faults.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. In that second set. In the first part of the third set
I was having some problems with my serve, and I felt like I fixed it at that
point because toward the end of the match I was serving a lot better, and I
think I was just hitting down, coming down too much, so I just kept telling
myself, hit up, hit up, so it worked.

Q. Was the wind pretty bad?

VENUS WILLIAMS: It was windy, but I've played in a lot windier, so compared
to what I had to play in in Miami, this was nothing.

Q. I think it was 1-1 maybe in the second set, she looked winded. It almost
looked like, okay, now you were ready to take over. Did you sense something?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I mean she did have to do a lot of running, but like I
said, you know, I think her strategy was just to get the ball in play and
then just wait, wait, wait for an error, and so sometimes I was making those
errors.

Q. When you fell down, what about the ankle? Does it hurt or not?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. I twisted it, and it hurts some, but I mean it's either
I'm going to play with it or not, so there's nothing that the trainer can do.
It's no magic patch or pill, so I had to keep playing or quit.

Q. Venus, is it some rust, just the unforced errors? Is that something you
can work out with time or was it just conditions? What was it? Like your
double faults, for instance.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. Just I'm better with every tournament, so with the next
tournament hopefully soon I'll be better.

Q. You played pretty incredible that first set. Have you ever played better
on clay than you did that first set?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I've played well on clay before, but thank you. Yeah. Thanks.

Q. Venus, Jelena, she's a gutsy player out there, isn't she? She's somebody
that you gotta work every single point to beat, isn't she?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. She's definitely kind of a counter-puncher, and she has
a little power, especially if you give her some power, then she uses your
power. So you know, that's her strength.

Q. You're in the Fed Cup; right?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes.

Q. Venus, I'm sorry. I came in late. In the second set you had a couple
points to go up 4-2. It looked like things were really going your way and
maybe you sort of faded out there. What do you think happened at that point?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't remember the points exactly. It sounds familiar. I
definitely wish that I would have gotten those. I think that would have
helped my cause.

Q. Venus, does it make it harder when you've been dominating during a whole
tournament and then you do finally run into a match where your counterpart is
playing just as well as you are?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. I think she was definitely playing just as well, but
obviously I was playing well in the first set, and then just gave her
opportunities in the second set, and that made it a little tough. She had a
lot of -- I mean I think I had a lot of opportunities, but I just didn't
capitalize, and it just helped her to stay in the match.

Q. Were you surprised sometimes, I saw you hit 120-mile-per-hour serve, a
good one and it came right back at you. VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. It's clay, so
it slows down some.

Q. Were you surprised after the first set that? I mean you were in complete
control. Were you surprised how she bounced back?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think she's definitely experienced in matches and things
like that. I just feel like I gave her a lot of opportunities. I was
definitely breaking, but then my serve wasn't where I wanted it, so I think
if I could have served a little better in that second set, I think that it
could have been a little different.

Q. Do you ever feel tight anymore when you're playing or not?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Tight?

Q. Nervous.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think sometimes I just rush. I just want to hit like a
great shot. I'm an aggressive player, so sometimes it's hard to play a little
slower, which is what I need to do sometimes.

Q. Talking about the way you played, you can play some long rallies and you
can be very aggressive. Are you happy about that?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. I definitely am happy because I know that when I really
focus, I can play a longer point, even though I do like to play a lot more
aggressive. I'd like to move forward a lot more, but that requires really
good footwork on this surface, because if your feet aren't there, I mean you
can't get to the ball. So I'm definitely going to work on that, and this has
been a long week and I'm just tired.

Q. Venus, I know you're disappointed today, but the week in general was it
good for you and do you feel your game coming around the way you want?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes. This has been a really good week for me. I feel like I'm
definitely hitting out, and I have a lot of stuff that I can definitely do
better, but that's every match, whether I played great or average or below
average.

Q. What will help you to get to the net more often and use the game that you
know is going to dominate?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Like I said, on this surface it's tough. On the hard court
I'd probably definitely be in a lot more, but if your approach shot isn't
placed really well and if you don't have enough pace on it, it sits up a
little bit, so it's a greater chance to get passed. I like to come in when I
know I've hit a good shot, a shot that is going to set up my volley.

Q. How hard is this going to be to go from green clay to hard court to red
clay?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, it's going to be tough. But I guess that's what's in the
cards.

DANNY KENDALL: Any more questions? Thank you very much.

END OF INTERVIEW