TMS - THE ERICSSON OPEN

March 26, 2000

Serena Williams

WTA: Questions for Serena.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I played okay. I think maybe my opponent didn't play her best tennis. I made a lot of errors that I thought I had tried to eliminate out of my game. I don't know. I'm going work more on my serve. My serve wasn't really kicking today. Other than that, I got the win. That's what really counts.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I would say it was more or less all over. You know, that's okay. As long as I'm doing good and think positive, that's what really matters.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I would say so because it's at home, I love to come here, I can drive. It's not that far away. A lot of family members are here. It's great. It's one of my favorites. It's nice. I like the stadium. It's real comfortable. I like the air. I like everything about it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: My dad. Venus is here. I guess that's it. My mom is tired. She's had enough for now.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Are you windy (laughter)?

SERENA WILLIAMS: The windiest it's ever been was definitely at Nick Bollettieri's. It's so windy there. I used to practice there a lot. It's not as windy at our home. Sometimes it is, but not too much.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I've never felt the wind. I remember I always used to watch the tournament when I was younger. I thought, "Wow, I have to be ready for the wind." I got here. Three years in a row, I have yet to feel wind. I feel windy at times.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, no (laughter).

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'd wish not to ever lose another match.

SERENA WILLIAMS: They're slim to none. Even the greatest, Martina Navratilova, I think she had a year 53-3. That's a fabulous year. I don't remember. She might have had more wins.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Two. I want a year like that, hardly any losses. That's definitely what I would like to do.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I always wanted to play her. She's my favorite player. I used to admire her and John McEnroe so much. They used to be my favorite players. It would be nice to play against her, even hit against her.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I have a strategy for serve-and-volleyers. I don't run into many, though, not on this tour. I would be ready. I'd have my game ready.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I liked his attitude on the court. "You can't be serious." I loved that. It was in the '80s. Oh, man, the decade we all could forget (laughter). Fashion-wise, whew, yeah. Otherwise, it was great.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, everything. The belts to the side, this to the side (shoulder off), the collar up. It's not fashionably correct. To this day, if I see people walking around, I don't like it. It was a fashion decade - just a decade we could leave behind.

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, no, not at all.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I can't tell you. You know I can't tell you. There might be some serve-and-volleyers. Novotna retired. Is there any serve-and-volleyers on the tour? There might be one coming up. I have my strategy for her.

SERENA WILLIAMS: My biggest goal, my dream when I was younger, was to win the US Open. Now I'm ready to move onto a different championship like Wimbledon, I want to get as many wins there, and at The Open, as possible.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Actually, no. It would be better if she was here because I know she would knock out some of those top players. It would be great. I have to do all the work now. When she's here, she usually takes them out.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, sometimes. She's played a lot more players than what I've played. She's played a lot of players that I've never played before. She usually tells me what to do against them.

SERENA WILLIAMS: The Tennis Monthly Recap nominated him for coach of the year because he has had two players in the Top 5 that he's coaching. Everyone says that his way is not the normal. What's the word I'm looking for? Gosh, I can't think of it right now.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Exactly, it wasn't conventional. He did things different. No one thought that we would really be top, top players because we didn't play Juniors. My dad was my coach. We needed a new coach. He's what we need. He really just totally helps my game. He's definitely the best coach out there.

SERENA WILLIAMS: The next issue is coming out. We're doing a couple special articles in April.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Tennis Monthly Recap; it's a big publication.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, if he wasn't involved from the beginning until my career now. Was her dad involved when she was younger?

SERENA WILLIAMS: It would just be something I would be used to, more or less. Whereas he's always been there. It's like kind of hard to say how I would feel if I've never had that. If he wasn't there in the beginning, I would be used to it, I'd have another coach that would help me the same. He's always been there, so he's my coach.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I really don't buy much actually. I've cut that out. I'm trying to buy stocks now just in case I have an unfortunate accident, I will be settled and set. I don't know. I really don't buy much. I have never bought a car.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I want to buy them all. I'm getting some upcoming stock that's about to go public. I don't want you guys to get it because I want it. I think it's going to do really well. I'm going to invest in it. I want it all. I'm not going to let you in on it.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Right now, I would definitely put my money into the WTA. I mean, there's a lot of young ladies out there that's really exciting to watch. But it might go up and then fall.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You'd have to ask my dad.

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, tennis has become not so much a game -- I think it's more the excitement that the players bring, that we bring, Venus and I bring, that Anna brings. We're doing something different. We're not doing everything else that everyone else is doing. First of all, Venus and I are black. There's not many black people out here, to be quite honest. You want to see something different. It's different. I know there's a lot of young players coming out, but I don't know what type of personalities they have that can keep people interested. I don't know. That's why I said it might go up; it might fall.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I have no problem with her. She's always real nice to me. She always asks about the dog. She has a dog, too. He's a big boy. I never met him, but she talks a lot about him. She's nice. She's real nice.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I want to be able to win the biggest tournament ever. I'm not sure if it's Wimbledon or the US Open, so I'm just going to try to win them both. I've just got one down, one to go.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Who knows? We might play Roma or French Open. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know her schedule, I only know mine. I don't know if she's going to be in it or not.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I expect to see her back and competing soon.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't think she played her best today. I played her before. I think she played a little bit better. I don't know, it was a fun match for me. I'm glad to get it under my belt.

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