AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2026

Venus Williams

Press Conference

O. DANILOVIC/V. Williams

6-7, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Straight into questions for Venus.

Q. Talk us through that match, how you're feeling, your emotions?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was such a great game, such a great moment. The energy from the crowd was amazing. That lifted me up so much.

She played a great game. Also some luck there, as well. That's just the sport. That's how it works sometimes.

But it was an amazing moment.

Q. Reflection on when you're up 4-Love, was there a moment where you felt the momentum shift?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, at 4-Love I felt good. Also it's the biggest lead I've had since I've been back (smiling). In a lot of ways I'm having to relearn how to do things again, if that makes any sense.

I'm really proud of my effort today because I'm playing better with each match, getting to the places that I want to get to. Right now I'm just going to have to keep going forward and working on myself and working to control my errors.

Those are things, too, that come with playing extra matches, like getting your feet in the exact right position, you know, choosing the right shots, all of those things that I'm still learning. It's kind of weird, but it's super exciting to have played that well and to get myself in that position and come very close.

Q. Are you hoping to play more of a routine schedule this year in terms of singles?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I'll think about what's next for me. I have the doubles here, so my focus is that right now.

Q. How much do you allow yourself to think in these situations that it might be the last time here? Do those things come into your mind? Do you take in a little bit extra when you're out there, when you're leaving the court?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, right now I'm very much in the tournament. My next focus is the doubles. So that's where my head is.

Q. How did your partnership with Alexandrova come about?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I actually played against her in the US Open. She was super impressive. We played I think it was in the third round. She put up an amazing fight. It will be nice this time to be on the same side of the court.

Q. You walked off with a big, infectious smile. What were the mixed feelings at that moment?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I had to appreciate the crowd. They were right there with me. They deserved that moment. We deserved that moment together, so...

It was an amazing journey on the court today.