US OPEN


August 31, 1998


Serena Williams

U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Flushing Meadows, New York


Q. What exactly happened to your leg?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, what happened was I was in practice, actually the
other day and I kind of strained a hamstring muscle, so I am -- it was -- it
served as a little distraction to me in my match today.

Q. Is that the same one that was injured at Wimbledon?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, this is hamstring. At Wimbledon I had a calf. So I don't
have any calf problems.

Q. How do you rate Nicole's play today?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I believe she came out with a plan to try to win, a lot of
people usually come out just to get a couple of games or see how well they
can do. I believe that she came out with a plan to do her best and try harder
than she would probably actually try and do under different circumstances I
think that she played pretty well. I don't think I played that well though.

Q. Because of the leg or what?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think that and just my game is off today. Maybe next time
-- I am definitely going to have to play better whether I want to or not.

Q. What was your Open debut like, anything like you thought it would be?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I guess it was pretty exciting, particular for me because I
definitely wanted to win. I didn't want to go out in the first round. I kept
saying to myself: Serena, you can't be a first-round casualty. It just would
have been horrible. I didn't want that to happen. So I had to keep
concentrating: Okay, come on, Serena, come on.

Q. What did you learn last year watching your sister go through what she did?
Does that put any added pressure on you thinking, I can't go out in the first
round or --

SERENA WILLIAMS: I never thought about that this whole match at all. I am
glad I didn't. I probably would have put even more pressure on myself. I
never thought about that. So it never came to my mind.

Q. Did it help being in the No. 2 stadium or was it a distraction for you?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it helped a lot. I think the stadium was pretty much
full at the end, actually it was very full at the end so I think that helped.
I like playing in big stadiums.

Q. Venus took three sets to win her debut match last year. Did she give you
any advice for your opening match?

SERENA WILLIAMS: She said: Serena, why don't you go through three sets, you
can make it to the final. (Laughs)

Q. -- The first two match points that got away?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, I had a volley and I thought I made it, but obviously I
didn't. I went for it too much because I wanted to end it and I didn't want
to have any problems closing out the match. But that happened and the second
one, I guess it was just a case of classic, I don't know, nerves, I guess, I
don't know.

Q. When you saw you had pretty much half the court open on the volley, did
you have time to think about how much space you had?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I never thought about that. I just thought about making
my shot. I just didn't -- my techniques, they were not correct, and if you
don't have the correct techniques, it is going to breakdown and I didn't have
the correct techniques and it broke down.

Q. On Saturday Venus was in here. She said that she didn't even look at the
draw except to know that you were in opposite halves. Are you the same way, I
see maybe Spirlea looming ahead, have you looked at it at all?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I just know I played Nicole Pratt in the first round. I
don't know who I played in the second round I am not looking toward that. I
am just looking at one match at a time and usually in all the tournaments I
look at the draw and obviously I haven't won any, so it hasn't been working
so let me try something different. (Laughs) So, I am taking a different
approach.

Q. Was it difficult with your sister playing, playing well last year, it must
have been exciting and all that, was it difficult to be patient and say:
Gosh, I'd like to be out there right now, let me try some of this?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, last year it was but right now I am out there and I am
having a lot of wins myself. I just -- I guess last week I was No. 20 and I
did not even know that I thought I was 21. This week I am 19 and I didn't
know that until today. So I really don't look at those things -- I just think
I am playing pretty -- okay, now and I just want to keep going.

Q. What family members are here in New York this year?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, all my sisters are here except for the eldest, she is
in California. My dad is here - guys, if you want to say anything about that.

Q. What are your expectations here?

SERENA WILLIAMS: My goal here is just to do the best that I can do. I am not
looking at the draw, so, I had actually -- I was watching TV last night and
they showed the draw, I was like: Serena, I had to turn my head. I wanted to
peak, but I did not peak, so I was pretty good. Those are my goals, just to
do the best that I can do and I know if I can do the best I can do, I can go
along ways.

Q. What do you think the chances are for the Williams sisters in the finals?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I have as good a chance as anyone else has here.
Everyone, when they enter the tournament, it is 1 out of 128. That is how it
begins as it narrows down each time, so, we will just have to see.

Q. Are you playing doubles this year?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I am not playing the doubles event. Although I had
points to defend, two points, so that is going to drop off. That is really
disappointing because it really is a lot of points to defend. (Laughs) Really
wanted to defend those double points.

Q. No mixed?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I didn't say no mixed.

Q. I know you didn't say no mixed.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Actually I am entered into the mixed.

Q. Got a chance for a family Grand Slam?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I have to. My ranking is not that good. My partner is
not that good so I had to get a wildcard.

Q. Who is he?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Wimbledon.

Q. Same guy?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, Wimbledon champs.

Q. How bad was the injury today? What did it prevent you from doing, and did
you ever think about not being able to --

SERENA WILLIAMS: Usually my matches I never hit more than three doublefaults
and the injury really, really hurt my serve a lot because I don't like
doublefaulting. I never have, and I probably never will. So it really served
as a great impediment to my serve; I wasn't able to move on with that
basically. Other than that, maybe my -- obviously my moving skills. I wasn't
able to move as fast or as much, so --

Q. You said Nicole Pratt had a plan for you today when she came out. What did
you think that was? What was she trying to do?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think her plan was to go out and try to beat me obviously
because she can say: I have beat Serena Williams or then her next round she
probably wanted to do well in this tournament also, but I think that
sometimes a lot of players come out play really hard against a lot of
playing, really hard against the younger players because they don't -- I
don't know, younger players, yeah, so --

Q. Was she trying to do anything different with the spins or make you hit a
lot of balls or anything like that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I really don't think so. No. I couldn't really say. You were
there, were you not?

Q. What kind of treatment will you have on your leg?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I am just going to get some treatment on my leg maybe soft
tissue work, maybe some ultrasound, I am not sure yet. Had to come talk to
you guys.

Q. Your dad left second set?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Usually when I am in a match I really don't look over too
much -- I guess I did notice, but I didn't notice until in the third set. You
really don't have time to think about that when you are out on the court
because you are completely focused on different things, so I guess if I was
playing, if I was in the crowd and I saw someone playing the way I was, I
would have left too. (Laughs)

Q. Did you talk to him after the match?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. I am not sure -- I think he might have had a meeting to
go to. I am sure that wasn't the reason that he left, because I wasn't
playing that well, but he had a meeting or something.

Q. Would you have liked to have more match practice before this?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I only played one tournament after Wimbledon. I think I
should have played a couple more. I think -- I would have liked to have had a
few more matches, so I think that would have been good for me. It is too late
now.

Q. Why didn't you?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I had some school -- I was entering one
tournament, but I had to go to summer school so I could try and finish and
get my diploma. It was really tough, so, I am still working on it.

Q. Do you have the diploma yet?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I had to take two final exams and couple of the tests
and I will be finish.

Q. In what?

SERENA WILLIAMS: High school.

Q. I mean, I knew you hadn't gone through college yet.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I took my final exams in physics and Algebra II. I am done
with all that.

Q. What do you have remaining?

SERENA WILLIAMS: On the physics I got 82, I was very proud of that. I have no
comment on the Algebra II.

Q. What do you have remaining?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I just have to take the easy ones like some science and
economics.

Q. What science?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Environmental science.

Q. You will make it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely.

Q. Reading the Wall Street Journal there was an article about your dad. Do
you think the media has made too much of your family and your father? Do you
think there is too much focus on it? Does it bother you?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, my dad always said negative attention is better than
no attention, so, as long as the truth lives inside of us and we know what
the truth is, that stuff really doesn't bother you because you know what the
truth is, it doesn't really matter.

Q. It seemed as the stadium got more crowded, the crowd really got behind
you. Talk about the New York crowd.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, I really liked it. It was great, especially when I came
out to try to break her for the match. They really started-- like I always
saw on TV the crowd goes wild, so it was pretty exciting to have it happen to
me for the first time, first of many.