TENNIS WIMBLEDON 2014 – 27th of June. P. Kvitova d. V. Williams 5-7, 7-6, 7-5. An interview with Venus Williams
Q. What do you think you’ll take away? What are your feelings about your singles run here and today’s match?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, today I did the best I could. I think she played well at every single moment. There weren’t a lot of opportunities for either one of us.
She played well. I gave it my all. Sometimes it’s not enough.
Q. What are your feelings about the three matches you played here and the week you’ve had?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, I feel like I was playing well. If I would have had the opportunity, you know, to play more, that would have helped.
But I think obviously this is a great match for me. I’m going to look forward to trying to play a lot of tournaments in the summer so I can just, you know, improve.
Q. Was it our imagination or did you look a bit emotional at the end? Thought maybe that was a sign you might not come back. But you’ll be back next year playing here again?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don’t know. Have you ever lost a match before?
Q. Yeah.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Then you can totally figure out what that feels like.
Q. You don’t mean…
VENUS WILLIAMS: No need for a follow-up on that one. Sorry.
Q. Sounds like even though you came out with a loss, the level you sustained through a lot of that match has you reinvigorated coming out here?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, in those matches it’s just the percentage. Just trying to figure out how to, you know, hopefully come out on top, take your chances. There really aren’t any chances ever, so…
Q. You sound generally invigorated about your level coming out of the tournament, even though it’s disappointing to lose?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it’s definitely disappointing to lose. I don’t plan on going into any matches planning on a loss. I would have liked to have had a win.
I’ll have to wait, unfortunately, quite a few more weeks to play another singles match. Sometimes that can become problematic when you have to wait three, four, five weeks to play again.
It might be a better thing for me in the summer to maybe play more tournaments so that way I’ll just have a chance, when it’s really time to play good tennis, I would have had those matches under my belt.
Q. Are you amused by the fact that you’ve played well this year, you won Dubai, you played a pretty intense match, that people are always trying to retire you?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No, people have been trying to retire me since I was like 25. For some reason in tennis we always do that to our players. It’s weird. We don’t encourage them to stick around. It’s like, Get out of here.
So I’m not getting out of here. I think this year has been a great year for me. I’ve had some tough losses, but I’ve learned a lot from them. I’m finding my way back on my feet.
I’m proud of myself for what I’m achieving on the court.
Q. 14 years after your first title here, how do you summon the fortitude to play a match like that with such intensity?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it’s a shame there had to be a loser in this match and more of a shame that it had to be me.
But all I can say is that it’s great to see women’s tennis on such a high level. I always expect a great match when I play her. You look at our scorelines, they’re never easy. She manages to somehow bring her best tennis against me.
So when I walk out on the court, I have to expect that from her.
Q. I know you wouldn’t continue playing if you didn’t think you could win. Do you think you have another Grand Slam title within you?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I want to win Grand Slams. Everybody does. You don’t get ’em. Look at what happened today. No one gives it to you. They snatch it away and say, Mine. That’s what I’ll have to do is snatch it, say, Mine, too, growl if need be.
That’s what it takes.
Q. There was so little sustained momentum for either one of you. Was there any one point, maybe in the second set, you were a couple points from taking the match, that you wish you have back?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don’t wish for the past personally. I did the best I could on those points. She came up with unbelievable serves or something, you know, incredible, great second serves, the whole match.
You know, it’s not like I gave it away or made horrible mistakes or any of those things. She just managed to play really well on those points.
Q. One of the most incredible things we have in the sport recently is seeing Serena late into Grand Slams fighting. When you see her doing that, what goes through your mind and what do you think is at the core of that fight?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I’m fighting with her. I’m in the standing rocking back and forth, almost hitting the ball. I’m pretty much right there with her fighting.
Obviously my perspective’s a little bit different than most other people’s.
