TENNIS WTA MONTREAL – 8th of August 2014. V. Williams d. C. Suarez Navarro 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. An interview with Venus Williams
Q. What are you doing well out there? What do you like about your game that you’ve made it to the semis?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think more than anything what’s happening well for me is just competing. I think my movement has been very helpful to me, as well, covering a lot of court.
Yeah, mostly the competing. I’ve been playing some stellar opponents, so it hasn’t been easy.
Q. Long matches, too.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Long matches. Long days. But that’s, I guess, par for the course.
Q. Do you feel the long matches you had to play this week will be a disadvantage against Serena that had shorter games?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don’t think so. I hope it won’t be a disadvantage. I never look at it that way because after you win a long match, it’s really satisfying. I do look at it that way and just try to take positives from it.
Q. I was wondering if you remember the first time you played Serena on the circuit, it was ’99, and what you remember about that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I totally remember. We had a tough match back then. That’s the trend that started and it hasn’t changed. I suspect tomorrow will be another tough match.
Q. How have you guys changed since then?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Not much (smiling).
Q. I think she won the last five matches. What do you have to do to beat Serena?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I have to play well. That’s pretty much it. There’s no secret or science to it. I think that’s anyone who has gotten any wins against her, they’ve pretty much played the match of their life.
Granted, I’d like to imagine that I hopefully won’t have to play the match of my life. That’s tough to do. But I know I need to play well.
Q. She said she didn’t like facing you. What are your thoughts on facing her?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think it’s, you know, more exciting when we get to face each other for us in the final. Semifinals is better than first or second round, yeah, but the finals is a lot more exciting I think for both of us. It’s more climatic. It’s more of a climax.
Q. Could you talk about today’s match, how you felt on the court. You must be pleased with your game overall.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, in the first set we had a couple breaks, but our intensity I think was high. She just seemed really determined. She was playing so well, not missing a lot of balls, really throughout the whole match.
After the first set I tried to do my best to maybe control the point a little more because she had me on a string running side to side. It’s very difficult to win matches like that when you’re not in control.
So as much as I could, which wasn’t always possible, I tried to stay in control of the point.
Q. You and Serena have had so much impact on women’s tennis for so many years. When you reflect on that, what are you most proud of?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I think what I’m most proud of is that so far I’ve come this far without falling on my face, doing something stupid (smiling). I want to try to keep that up. So once I’m done I can look back and say, I didn’t make a fool of myself.
That’s actually, you know, true. I think at the end of the day life is about what you can give, not really about what you can get. I think in a lot of ways the work that we’ve put in on the court has been able to give so much to so many different people in so many different ways. That was a result that we, as sisters or as a family, never saw coming.
I think for me, and I think I can probably speak for her, I don’t know, that’s to me the most satisfying, is how much you find out you can give.
Q. In what ways? Inspiration?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Just so many young women who start playing tennis, or young men, older people who are inspired. People who inspire you because of what they’re doing because you inspired them. The opportunities that get created just by being out there playing, like people you never even get to meet. Those are the impacts I never could have foreseen, which really makes me the most proud.
Q. At what age did you think you would retire, 30?
VENUS WILLIAMS: At 30 you don’t think about the end so much. I still don’t. At this point I’m still playing well, so why should I think about the end?
When it happens, it happens. I’d like to think I’d go gracefully into the shadows.
Q. When we talked to Serena before, she told us she wanted to spend the night with you anyway. What are your thoughts on that? Is that what you’re doing tonight, going to hang out and talk about the match for tomorrow?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No. I’m actually going to dance a little bit. I actually am.
Q. You are?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. It’s very relaxing for me. I love to dance.
Q. By yourself?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No.
Q. Would you care to elaborate?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Not at a club. No, I just do a little jazz and a little ballet. I’m not great, but I love to dance. I’ll just dance a little and see what happens.
Q. Even after these two days of really tough matches, long matches, it’s actually good for you to do that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I just love it. It makes me happy. It’s a hobby. Not for long. Maybe like half an hour. Trust me, it’s not like running back and forth on a tennis court. I know it can be very intense, but that’s hard.
Just a little bit and try and relax. Definitely rest, so…
