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TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPSOctober 21, 2013Serena WilliamsISTANBUL, TURKEY THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Talk about being able to get back here and just the season you had. Earlier today Stacey was talking about how the most emotional moment this year was she saw you capturing No. 1 in Doha. Was that "the" moment for you this year? Was it the slams? What stands out? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, for me it was probably definitely getting back to No. 1. I played a really tough match, and I obviously didn't expect to win that match. I thought, man, I'm going to have to wait for another time. I have been through so much the past few years, and, you know, I thought if anything it was a great story not only for me but for everyone just to realize that it doesn't matter what happens to you as a person, that if you just keep going and you never give up‑‑ I mean, people say this all the time, but really if you just fight again, you can have an opportunity to survive. For me, I feel all those overwhelming emotions, and then to be No. 1 again, it was really ‑‑it was a great feeling and something I never expected. Q. That match that you claimed No. 1, you beat Petra Kvitova. You will play her in Istanbul. Can you talk about that matchup in particular? She seems to be one of those players that when she's at her best she's absolutely among the few best players in the game. SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, Petra is a great player. Obviously she's won here before and this is a good surface for her, as well. She just does everything well. She's also a lefty, which I think for sure helps her. It's always a little tricky. But it will be a good match. You have to always be ready to play anyone at every given time, and I'm just going to have to be ready to play the best I can. Q. People earlier were talking about if she hits as hard as you, or which players hit the hardest. A lot of people say you hit the hardest on tour. Do you think that's true, or is that a myth? SERENA WILLIAMS: I can definitely hit it hard. I don't hit every ball hard or else I'd have a lot of shoulder problems, you know. I definitely try to mix the balls up and play different, and I have been adding a lot more to my game recently, as well. But she's definitely a hard hitter. She hits really hard, and she's a great player. Q. You have won more matches, more tournaments, than any other year of your career. Did you think that you would have the hunger that you have now at this stage? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, when I was 20 or 18 I never thought I'd be playing at this stage, and I have had a lot of time to think about it. The sport has just been growing so great. It's just been a great opportunity for me to continue to play, so I never thought I would have one of my best years this year, but I always just try to keep doing better. Q. This year was a very successful year for you. You have won 10 tournaments and now you have 17 Grand Slams and you equaled the record of Roger Federer. Do you have an aim and a goal to pass Margaret Court Smith's 24 Grand Slam total? SERENA WILLIAMS: That would be amazing. I'm less than 10 away, so that's a start, but even if I was at 23 Grand Slams, it would be very hard, you know, with so many wonderful players, especially now. There are so many great new players coming up. Everyone is so young, everyone is so hungry, everyone wants to be the next No. 1. So, you know, it's going to be even tough for me to get to 18. Obviously that's my goal, but I take it one match at a time. Q. A few more bars of "Oh, Istanbul" again? SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I didn't know the words at all. I was really not prepared for that, but maybe at the end. Q. There we go. So just talk about how much did what happened to you in 2010 in the summer with the foot and the pulmonary embolism the next February have to do with now your long‑term success since you came back in 2011 and for the most part you have been pretty good every single month? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I didn't think I would play tennis again after that. I thought unfortunately that, you know, I just wanted to try to survive that moment and then move on. Then I ended up playing again. So I think that definitely built a lot of character in me, and I think it built even more mental toughness. It made me realize I can get through a lot of ‑‑I could overcome a lot of things, and, you know, obviously had a lot of help, as well. I think all that really, really made me feel like I can do it. Q. Li Na was in here earlier, and she said that she thought that this year was her best year even though it wasn't a year that she won a slam mainly because of her consistency. This has obviously been a very consistent year for you. How do you rate this year? We love comparing things. How do you rate this year compared to your other seasons? SERENA WILLIAMS: It's definitely one of the best years I have had. What I think is great about it is I'm still looking to improve, and what I learned most about this year is I have a lot of room for improvement, and talking with my coach over it, I'm so excited for next year just to take my game to a new level. Q. You said you couldn't imagine being here 10 years ago, still playing. A question going forward. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? SERENA WILLIAMS: Who knows? I might be here. I have learned from 10 years ago I can never say. Q. You have had many great years in your career where you have won multiple slams but you have never had a year like winning so many tournaments outside of slams. What is the difference between then and now? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I just really wanted ‑‑ every tournament I play I play to win. Not that I didn't do that before, but it was just different, just at a different place in my life, and more than anything I enjoy playing tennis. I love being out there. Right now I can't imagine my life without a tennis racquet in my hand and playing, you know, the next event. I think maybe that makes a difference. Q. You have also said over the years that you need to do some stuff off court to keep your mind fresh and your desire fresh. What drives you off court these days? SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I'm relaunching Aneres, as I talked about. What I wore last night is the start of it. That's been really, really a lot of my focus, and interviewing different designers. I actually got a couple ‑‑I had a designer send in his work today, a new designer. That's been exciting. A lot of other business things, as well. I have been really, really busy. Tennis is almost tranquil for me to get out there, and it helps me relax and it makes me calm at this point because I don't have to worry about all the other stuff going on. Q. I had a chance to watch the documentary "Venus and Serena" last month. We learned lots of things about you, that you're successful at pole dancing at the same time. Are you satisfied with the documentary? I mean, I wrote an article in a tennis blog that there were some problems in the distributing and shooting process. Is that right? Were you satisfied with that? SERENA WILLIAMS: I think the documentary came out really great. It's been so interesting to see. It was a really interesting point in my life. You know, when you shoot it, you don't plan the things that happen. You know, I think it was almost perfect timing with a lot of things that happened to me, and catching it on film and really seeing, like, where I came from at the bottom and to being able to rise to No. 1. I thought it really told a wonderful story, and I was really happy about it. Q. I want to ask you two brief questions. One of them is everybody likes to think you're the favorite to win this tournament. What do you think? And the second is about doping and drug testing. A couple of male players have been suspended recently due to failing their drug test. Do you think the sport is doing enough to fight doping? Are you satisfied with the current situation? SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think it's great that ‑‑ I don't know. I'm always considered a favorite in a tournament. I don't think about it. I don't like it, but I don't hate it. You know, it's better to be considered a favorite. I also do well when I'm considered the underdog. I never consider myself a favorite because every opponent I play has a chance to do really well. On the doping aspect, I think it's great. I think it's great that a lot of players are being tested more often. I think for me tennis is such a clean sport. It should be a clean sport. We need to keep it clean. If that means we have to do more testing, then I'm already for it, and I think it's something that keeps the sport pure. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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