US OPEN

September 4, 2001

Serena Williams

NEW YORK CITY

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You let out a pretty loud scream after match point there. What were your
emotions at that point?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I was pretty happy because, obviously, I'm tired of
losing close matches. I really, really wanted to win this match. So, I was a
bit elated.

Q. Talk about the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows of the second and third
set? You get up, go back down, up, back down.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I had a couple chances, especially in the third. I had
my chances in the second, too. I shouldn't have lost my serve. But in the
third, I had a chance to be up 4-Love. You know, I just blew it. You know,
that's what I told myself, you know what, no matter what I do, no matter how
hard I wish, I couldn't even pay a person to rewind time, so I may as well
get over it. That's what I was able to do. I was able to move on after that.

Q. Is that the difference between this and those other matches?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Maybe. I might have been able to forget. You know what, you
can't do anything about it. If I were to lose, I couldn't have done anything
about it, no matter how hard I tried. Maybe I could have made a few more
shots. I knew I would be most disappointed had I went out.

Q. When you lose so many close matches, got to cut a little bit into your
self-belief. How much does winning this match build that self-belief back up?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I always have a lot of self-belief, yeah. Everyone, you
know, points out the close matches that I lost. You know what, you got to let
that go, you really do, or else you're just going to be in a hole forever.
I'm really not trying to be in a hole forever.

Q. What are you trying to tell yourself when you are trying to close out an
opponent, she keeps coming back, keeps coming back? What are the things
you're trying to tell yourself, make yourself do?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I just tell myself, you know, "Stay focused, you know,
make your shots." I missed a lot of shots today. I just was a bit off. I was
just, you know -- you know, make your shots in that case. It depends on what
I'm doing. If I'm not looking at the ball, hitting the ball, not on my
contact point. I try and correct what I'm doing wrong.

Q. Is it hard to stick with your game plan deep in the third set when the
match gets so tense?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Actually, no. Actually, it's easier for me. In the past,
I've lost matches because I didn't move up to the ball or I didn't come to
the net. So when a match gets tough, it's easier for me to come to the net
because I know for sure I have a good chance of winning. If I'm going to go
out, at least go out doing what I practice, so next time it will be better.

Q. Do you think winning a close match like this will help you in future
matches when you get tight?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, Venus told me something really important the other
day. She said, "You know, a champion in tight situations are able to pull
through, they don't get nervous." That really helped me a lot. I don't have
time to be nervous anymore. If I'm going to go ahead and do something, I was
thinking about what she said. I'm like, "You know what, doesn't matter. I
just shouldn't get nervous. I should just go ahead and do the best I can".

Q. How did that come up?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think we were watching a match maybe. This person might
have been up. I'm not going to say anything else (laughter). They weren't
able to close it out, you know, after being up.

Q. How long ago was that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: This was just the other day. It was before this match.

Q. Was it a tall guy?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I doubt it. Everybody's tall, though. Yeah, might have
been.

Q. Serve and volleyer?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I take the Fifth.

Q. It's been since 2000 Wimbledon since you've been to the semifinal in a
Grand Slam. Does that surprise you?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it has. It should never have been this long. I
definitely should have been more serious in the past, won some of those
quarterfinal matches. Comes a day when someone gets tired of losing in the
quarterfinals all the time. I would like to move ahead, just go three steps
farther than the quarterfinals (laughter).

Q. You hit a few backhands into the net.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It was ridiculous.

Q. Looked like you were getting a little tired.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, no, I wasn't tired at all.

Q. Mentally?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. Not at all. I could have -- I don't get
tired anymore. I'm too young to get tired.

Q. What happened there? How did you get yourself out of it?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I didn't have the right techniques. I was way too far behind
the baseline, and I basically pushed the shot, hoping it went over. When you
hope... Sometimes you have to have a little more than hope.

Q. You're down 30-15 in the last game, then you sneak in for a volley. Was
that perhaps the difference right there?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. I was just talking to my dad. It was definitely, we
think the difference in the match. Like I said, in the past I've lost matches
because I didn't come to the net. Actually, in Wimbledon I lost because I
didn't move up. Doesn't matter how sick I was, I could have won if I had of
moved up. If I was going to do it, I should move up, go out moving up or
coming to the net.

Q. I think you only lost two or three points at net tonight.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. You came in 20 plus times.

SERENA WILLIAMS: 27 and 24, yeah.

Q. Could you see yourself now coming in ten times a set? Is it something that
might never happen?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm really working on it. You know, I'm really trying.
Hopefully, I'll be able to make it ten times (laughter).

Q. Do you trust your volley a lot?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I do. That's the funny thing. I trust my volleys. When
I come in, you know, even if they pass me, it has to be on the line or
something close to that. You can't -- doesn't matter if it's me or anyone,
you can't keep passing. That's why Pat Rafter is able to do so well. You
can't pass him that many times. It's too difficult. I need to force my legs
to get up there a little more.

Q. She kept coming back from the dead over and over again. Was there ever a
point where you were like, "Okay, enough already. I can't believe you're
coming back. I thought I had you dead."

SERENA WILLIAMS: She just kept coming back. She didn't win three Grand Slam
championships for anything, for sure. Obviously, she has a lot of fight in
her. She was No. 1, too. You don't get there from just giving up. That's why
you can really appreciate that.

Q. Do you see any difference in her game now? Do you think she's missing
anything?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. No, I don't think so. She didn't play the French. She
got to the semis of Wimbledon, lost to Venus. She just lost to me here. Those
aren't really bad losses. Those really have to be able to be tough.

Q. Is she still as tough as she was?

SERENA WILLIAMS: For sure. Her serve is looking great. I think she's doing a
good, good job.

Q. Lindsay said that you could overpower Martina Hingis; the key is keeping
down the unforced errors. In your eyes, what's the key to playing Martina? Is
it easier now than it was a couple years ago?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think the key, she said it right, I just have to
keep down the errors, I can't make as many errors as I did today. And power,
sometimes you can use your power, but sometimes you want to use more brain as
opposed to brawn. You don't want to have all brawn and no brain. I'm going to
go out there and try and use a little bit of both.

Q. Is it much easier to play her now than it was a couple years ago?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I haven't played her in a minute. It's been a while since I
played her. She's in the semifinals. She had to win, what is it, four or
five? I'm tired. It's late. You still want to ask questions, guys. She had to
win several matches to get here, so... I've got to stop saying "you know."
I'm working on that. I'm not going to say "you know" anymore. She got here by
working hard. I can't take her for granted. You don't want to take anyone for
granted.

Q. You played a lot of matches with her since the '99 finals. A lot of people
will think of that. How much do you still think of that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, that was back in '99. I hate to tell you, this is a
new millennium (laughter). That's old. I won't be thinking about that. That
was back in the past.

Q. What will you be thinking about if you do beat her, the prospect exists
that you could play your sister on Saturday night?

SERENA WILLIAMS: That would be great. I'm sure TV would love it (smiling).

Q. What gives you more satisfaction, to win a really tough point using your
brain or tough point using your brawn?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, if it's -- huh. It depends. Sometimes you just want to
get it over with, so you hit a big winner. I'm glad I have that option. A lot
of people don't have that option. They don't just have one shot they can put
away real quick. I couldn't -- I don't know.

Q. You're saying you learned a little something from Venus about what a
champion should do. Do you think her development, when she started winning
Slams, was because how she developed mentally or do you think it was more the
physical aspect of her game that put her over the top?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. Venus has always been a great player. She's
always been able to beat the top players. I just think sometimes in the
Slams, you know - God, I said it again -. two weeks can be a bit tough. I
think maybe more mentally, for sure.

Q. Lindsay talked about how you and Venus have really developed into very
different players, where a few years ago you were more similar. Do you think
that's true? Why or why not?

SERENA WILLIAMS: We're different people. We have different hearts. We have
different bodies. We're different players.

Q. But the idea that a few years ago you seemed to be more similar, now
you've really come into your own, do you see that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I've always thought we were different players. We've always
been different players. Just totally different players, I think.

Q. Can you talk about the differences.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, she -- do I have to?

Q. Just a little bit.

SERENA WILLIAMS: For me, especially in the beginning, I would run my opponent
more than Venus was. Venus would go for more winners. But lately, it seems
like we've switched roles. She runs her opponents more and I'm going for more
winners. I don't know. I think I come to the net a little more than Venus for
sure. I mix my game up a bit more. Whereas Venus has her own -- she's in her
own little world. She just does her own thing. They're just totally different
games.

Q. Venus talked about how she's starting to figure things out on her own,
kind of assert her independence in terms of how she prepares for her matches
from your dad. Can you talk about that? Is that similar for you also?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes, I think I am, too. I always thought -- there used to be
a time that I would practice, if it's a night match at 7:00, I would practice
at around like 6:00. I would finish around 6:30 and then go on the court.
Then Venus changed it up. She started practicing around -- you know, she
started practicing around 4:30, 5:00. That worked for her. So I started
around 4:30, 5:00. But I realized that sometimes I might need to get my feet
moving a little bit more. 6:00 better suits me. I don't know if that really
answers your question (laughter). But we definitely have different styles of
playing.

Q. It seems like you guys are sort of figuring out what is best for you; you
don't need people telling you.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, we've always done our own thing. We've always done our
own schedule.

Q. What about Martina has given you so many problems the last few times you
played her, including this year in Australia?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Whatever happened in the past is the past. This is the US
Open. Like when I was playing Lindsay tonight, doesn't matter what our past
record was. This is a new game, and she wants the title as well as I do. You
have to go for it.

Q. But she presents a different style of player, no?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, for sure. We'll just wait and see. It's going to be a
fun match.