THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 24, 1998

Venus Williams

Q. Venus, would you prefer a tougher match before facing Martina?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, if I would have preferred a tougher match, I wasn't going to play anybody else besides Serena today, so you get what you have.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I definitely think I could have played better. I think I was making some errors. I lost serve twice, which is no good at all. Sometimes I was making errors for no reason at all. Hitting too many short balls also. I can make up for that since I'm kind of speedy. But in the end, that's no good. Get yourself in trouble a lot. So I think I'm going to have to make some adjustments.

VENUS WILLIAMS: The same as always. I have to go out there and play the player, not anything else. That's what I will do. Most of all, I think it's important that I go out there relaxed and just ready to play, not overplanning or overpracticing, because I already can play, I've already practiced all these years for this.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think Serena went out there and played her game, which is important. Sometimes people play the top players, they feel, "I have to do this, I have to do that, this is the side I'm going to hit to." In all honesty, you don't have to do that. Just go out there and play your game. I think Serena did that. I think she gave a good example for me.