Serena Williams Interview - June 3

SERENA WILLIAMS: That was definitely better today. It came together in practice the other day. I was feeling a little bit better. And I knew if I could play the way I practiced, I would be able to do a good job.

Q. You're coming into the fourth round, the player's pretty tough, and now it's sort of a different situation where you know you're going to be facing a lead player. Is it, "I've got to step it up now, now I've got to find the rhythm"?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Pretty much. Justine's really good here. She's done really solid here, I mean, if she goes on to win her match.

Usually I don't like to peak too soon; I like to bring up the level of my play right around quarters, semis, mainly in the finals.

Q. How are you feeling after a week of playing on the clay?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I feel good. I really -- I feel better each match. I'm sliding better. I'm running better. And I'm just doing -- just playing the clay court game a little better. So I feel really good.

Q. Do you need to play matches to really dial in a clay court game or can you do it on a practice court?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I can -- what was that?

Q. Do you need to play matches to really get your dial in your clay court game or can you actually just do that hitting balls and practice and sliding and all that stuff?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I can definitely do it practicing. I think it's good to play matches, but there's no clay court like there is at Roland Garros. I mean, for me, when I play Rome, it's a totally different surface. I mean, it is clay and it is European clay, but it's not the same. So for me it's...

Q. What are the properties that you're talking about?

SERENA WILLIAMS: In Rome, the court is much faster. It almost plays -- it just plays really fast and it's a lot dryer. Berlin, it's, I haven't been there in years, but it's too thick almost. It's just different surfaces. It's hard to get the same replica of the French Open. This one plays kind of slow, but I like this one the best.

Q. Would you normally look ahead in the draw or do it this time because it's better to know that you're going to have a match like the Justine match potentially so early?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. I mean, right now, obviously you guys have been saying since day one, I mean, even before I played, Justine was the quarterfinals if we both made it that far. So I knew that for about a week and a half now.

Q. Before they did the draw?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I knew it.

Q. Can you reflect on that match. It was one of the emotionally I think toughest on-court experiences you've ever had, 2003, that semi.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't want to reflect on that anymore. I let it go. And obviously she did. Or whether she didn't or not, it doesn't matter anymore. This is a new year. It was what it was, but we're both different people now.

Q. Have you matured to the point that if you get into -- I mean, if you play her, it's going to be a tough match. I mean, you know that. She knows that. And the crowd gets into it. Have you matured to the point where you can keep it calm, keep it at a good level so the crowd gets into it; you can still push through and win the match?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. I mean, I definitely feel like I've matured for that, to that point. I feel like, if the crowd gets involved, I'm just going to be there, zone out, just focus on me.

Q. In today's match, Safina likes to bash the ball, gives you a lot of looks, and Justine is not going to play that kind of match at all. She's going to give you a different spin, move it around differently. What are you going to do to really stay on top of her?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think Safina did that a while. She hit hard, then she hit lobs, then she hit soft balls. She really gave me a lot of different pace. I didn't expect her to play like that at all, at all, whatsoever. So she totally gave me a different ball. I think that's kind of good going into Justine.

My hitting partners both give me different kind of feels so it's going to work out good. Either way, I mean, I'm really excited about the match-up.

Q. What kind of context does the Miami match have in a situation like this? Does it mean nothing? Does it mean a lot to either of you?

SERENA WILLIAMS: It means a lot to me. You know, it's another title under my belt. But it's a different surface, different weather, Grand Slam, quarterfinals. It's not the finals. You know, obviously, we both want to win and we both want to go out there and do our best.

So with that being said, it's totally different circumstances. But at the same time, I think it has the same amount of desire to come out on top.

Q. What about the way you won that one? Does that have a carry-over effect?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you know, I think in her mind, if she's up, she's going to be thinking, "I'm not going to count her out." And I think for that matter, everyone thinks that, you know. I mean, I hope. If not, oh well. You never count me out.

Q. How do you think you've changed personally since 2003?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I've definitely grown up a lot, matured a lot, you know, and been through a lot of things since '03. And I'm just maybe I'm more cynical.

Q. In what ways are you more cynical, except with the media?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, just always see the glass as half empty. So, yeah, whatever. I guess it's not the way to look at it, but...

Q. Is that good or bad when it comes to --

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, not on the tennis court. I'm just talking about off the court. I'm like, "Okay, it wasn't meant to be." The story of my life kind of thing.

Q. If I could be a little bit more specific, you've been through loss, a terrible loss in your family.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. Injury, a lot of doubters?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. Does that make the prospect of a hostile crowd less threatening?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, absolutely. I've been through death; I had surgery I think since then. I've been through a lot. It takes a strong person to be able to be at the bottom of the barrel and be able to come back. And I was completely -- I was beyond the bottom of the barrel. I was really down there and, you know, it's hard to be able to come back. Especially when everyone seems like is against you and you have so many doubters and the only person that you can count on is you and your family. And especially living in the public eye like me, it's not easy.

So I think if a person, whether it be me or someone else, can kind of come back from that, then I think anything is possible, whether it be winning or whether it be coming back from a deficit or whatever the case is.

Q. Were you ever a glass-half-full person? I mean, did you change?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, because when I was young, it still hurts to talk about it, but when we played those games in kindergarten, that was always duck, duck, duck, duck, goose, and I was never goose. So, you know, ever since then, it's always been, It's half empty. I'm never gonna be the goose, you know. I don't know if you know that game, but it's an American game. So it's just...

Q. Tell us about it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, basically all the kids from the class sit in a circle, and then, you know, you pick one kid, and they go around, they touch the kid's head, they go around in a circle with all the kids, and they say, "Duck, duck, duck, duck, duck."

And then whoever they say goose to, the kid has to get up and chase the other kid around. The other kid has to get back around and sit down before the kid touches him.

And I always wanted to be the goose because I was really fast. So, you know, the kids kept choosing their friends. I didn't have many friends. I never got chosen unless it was about time for recess to be over with.

So, man, I need to talk to a shrink about this. I'm going too far into this. Never mind. I was never the goose (laughing).

Q. Maybe that's because they knew you were so fast Serena, huh?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I like to believe. Look at me now, you know. Look at me now.

Q. Is it fair, you go to Lakers' games, you go to basketball right, if you go to Staples Center, it's Kobe's house, if you go to Miami, it's either D. Wade or Shaq, right?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, yeah.

Q. Is this Justine's house?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I would say it's Amelie's house. She's French. Everyone roots for her. Justine's kind of French with a Belgium thing, and her French, she's from the French part of Belgium. But I would just have to say it's Amelie's house.

Q. But she wins. Part of it being someone's house is someone playing their best tennis, right?

SERENA WILLIAMS: The Lakers don't win (laughter).

Q. No, but Kobe does. Exactly, but Kobe does. Kobe does when he's at home. When you come in here, do you think, "Well, I'm this good, but Justine's played great, great, great tennis here over the years"?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely not. I mean, obviously I know she's played great tennis. At this point, I don't have anything to lose. Like I said from the beginning, I can only go up. I didn't play here last year. I can only propel myself forward and, you know, that's how I look at, you know, every match, including her.

I know she's playing great, but I never count myself out, because if I do, then it's best for me not to even go out. I might as well stay home and go on vacation.

Q. You've traveled in your own circle, and Justine travels in her own circle. Have you guys ever had a conversation about what happened in that match in 2003?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Not since 2003, no.

Q. How does that work in your mind, then?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't think about it. I know I wasn't at fault in any way, and, you know, I guess she was doing everything, I guess, to win. Who knows? I don't know. I don't really think about that. It was a long time ago. Like I said, so much has happened since '03. It seems like decades ago.

Q. Back in 2003, you were perhaps at the height of your powers. You had the Serena slam, 2002 to 2003. How would you compare yourself as a player now to then?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I would -- I don't know. I have to look at the film. I don't know. I was going to say I think I'm more patient, but maybe -- I don't know.

Q. How close are you to being as good as you were then or are you better?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. Honestly, I've never -- I have to go back and look at my -- I would imagine I'm better than I was. But I think with everyone's lifting their kind of level of game, you kind of have to be better. But again I'd have to go see.

Q. Did you watch the video of Australia, particularly the final, and if you did, what was your reaction to it?

SERENA WILLIAMS: What video?

Q. Well, you said you have to watch the video to compare yourself. Did you watch the video of the Australian Open final this year? Were you impressed or not impressed or?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I watched it. I was impressed. I must say, you know, I thought when I was done, I thought. "Okay. I did good."

But I'm really a perfectionist, I thought I could do this better. But looking back, I thought I did everything pretty good and I'd like to keep playing like that.

Q. Lindsay and Kim Clijsters more or less being retired, Jennifer not being here, does that make anything different for you? They were around so long when you were playing and they're not here anymore?

SERENA WILLIAMS: The only thing that makes the difference is you miss the camaraderie of them in the locker room.

Q. Just to clarify did you actually have a conversation with Justine in 2003 about that or have you guys never spoken about it once?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Thanks. That's for me.