News & Photos / Interviews / Interview with Serena Williams

7‑6, 5‑7, 7‑5

An interview with:

SERENAWILLIAMS

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you cope with defeat when it was so close?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, you know, it was definitely close. I had chances to win. Just thinking about things that I could havedone better.

Q. She made it very hard for you to come back, didn't she in the thirdset? It was so close.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I made it hard for myself a lot, too,more than anything.

Q. Obviously you were down in the first two sets and you fought back, andin the third you got an early break. Asthat set wore on, was fatigue a factor at all for you?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I wasn't tired at all. I'm not tired at all. I felt like ‑‑ I felt like Ididn't ‑‑ I had a chance to do a little bit better, and I didn't.

Q. In a situation like that when you're behind, things are looking kind ofdesperate, do you think to yourself, hey, I'm Serena Williams. I've gone through this a hundred timesbefore, and come out on top?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, actually I don't ever think that. I think more or less just play thepoint. I feel like at that point youdon't really have any pressure; you have nothing to lose.

You just keep, youknow, keep going, keep fighting.

Q. She's had some trouble closing out matches in the past lately and inSlams and she had trouble closing out the match against you in Australia,as well. What did you see in her gametoday?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, what do you mean, what did I see in hergame?

Q. How do you think she played under pressure and down the stretch overall?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I think she played well overall. Obviously she played well to walk away withthe win, so yeah.

Q. Close losses are tough on any athlete. Do you suffer these things long or short? Where do you fall on that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, um, I mean, I just deal with losses alittle bit better nowadays. Honestly Ithink I lost because of me and not because of anything she did.

You know, I don't thinkthat makes it easier, but it makes me realize that, you know, had I donedifferent things I would have been able to win.

Q. What are your goals as you now look forward to Wimbledon and the grasscourt season in England?

SERENA WILLIAMS: My goal is just to, you know, do better thanlast year at Wimbledon, hopefully.

Q. So what would you have done differently in this match?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, um, I think I started out a little slowand, you know, I wasn't trying to, but I did, I got down a double break. Maybe I could have won the first set, andthen maybe I could have won the second.

In the third I had anopportunity and I got really tight, and I pretty much gave it to her. It was like, Here, you know, do you want togo to the semis? Because I don't. She was like, Okay. (laughter.)

Q. So she sort of backed into it?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Pardon?

Q. I'll ask you a different question. Why do you think you got tight?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I haven't gotten tight since 2007 in Australia. I think that was the last time I got tight.

I don't know, I maybe Iput some expectations on myself that I didn't put on myself initially. You know, I started hitting a lot of shortballs and my arm locked up a little bit. It was what it was.

Q. If Safina wins the title here, will that authenticate her as the worldNo. 1, do you think?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I already think she's definitelyauthenticated as the world No. 1. She'sthere. She has won four tournaments.

Q. She will have won a Slam, so big difference?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, yeah, sure. But she's No. 1 already. I mostly try to focus on me nowadays.

Q. We've seen some other records in tennis tide, four straight here or thefive straight at Wimbledon. Once again, the calendar year Grand Slam isout the window with you and Rafa going out. Can you just talk about how difficult that is to achieve in tennis?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, I guess it's difficult. I didn't have any expectations on it. I just was kind of trying to feel my way andjust do the best that I could do.

Honestly, I'm glad Ididn't go down alone, you know. We bothwent down together, so, hey...

Q. Do you see Safina as the favorite at this point in the tournament?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, yeah, absolutely. I don't see ‑‑ I don't know if ‑‑ Idefinitely see her as a favorite, for sure.

Q. Could you describe and assess this entire tournament for you, what itwas for you?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, yeah. You know, I started out really bad. Just really physically I wasn't the best. I was trying to make it. Didn't have great matches coming in here, andI started out on a losing streak.

You know, I guess I wasjust on a hope and a dream, and now it's over.

Q. Roger looks like he may well pull this out. Will you be rooting for him and watching himas the weekend goes on, or do you sort of flush this tournament out of yoursystem and go do something else?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, hmm. Who else is in the tournament? Ilike Del Potro's game, because he's young and he's tall and he's really nice tome. And Roger is really nice to me,too. Obviously I love Roger.

But, yeah, him, and Ilike González. Well, González is hittingtoo many dropshots, so he kind of got me a little frustrated. So yeah.

I don't know. Maybe ‑‑ I like Del Potro. I don't know if he's the favorite, but I'djust like to see him do well.

Q. Mostevery tennis player goes from clay, from the dirt and the sticky stuff, tograss. What's it like in the firstmoments when you step out on the grass court and start the next chapter of thetour? What does it feel like?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, for me it's frustrating, because theballs are flying and going so fast. It'sjust like, you know ‑‑ it's totally different, and I always start outreally, really bad, so it's just frustrating for me.

Q. Do you wish there was more of a gap between the seasons?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I mean, because now it's like, Okay,well, I lost here. Maybe I can do betterat Wimbledon. I wish it were tomorrow.