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June 26, 2014

Serena Williams

LONDON, ENGLAND

S. WILLIAMS/C. Scheepers 6/1, 6/1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Not a bad day at the office for you today. You looked very comfortable. Did you feel that way?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I felt okay today. I just had a goal and trying to do better each day.

Q. How do you feel about your form at this moment in time?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I feel okay. You know, I don't want to feel great necessarily right now because hopefully I have several more matches I can play.

But the goal for me is just to feel a little better every day.

Q. You played doubles last night that ended quite late. No aftereffects?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. I didn't sleep well yesterday. But I think I was just ready for my match. Didn't get home until really late, so... But it was okay.

Q. That was a great result for you and Venus coming back?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, we were finally able to win a match. We were excited.

Yeah, we haven't played a lot of doubles in recent years, since the Olympics actually. So we're really happy to be playing again.

Q. You got up close and personal with a spectator.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, no, I was running and I couldn't stop. Had some lovely gents that was able to break my fall, so it was really nice.

Q. You spoke the other day about how closely you're following the U.S. and the World Cup. What are your plans for watching the game against Germany and what are your expectations?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, exactly. Once I get out of here I'm going to go home and, you know, sit down on the couch and just get to watch and, Go USA. I'm sure there's a few German people, including my hitting partner, that will disagree with that.

But it's fun. I'm supporting the U.S. men all the way. I'm really excited.

Q. You have Cornet next. She beat you earlier this year. Talk about that matchup, the challenge she represents.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, Cornet, she does everything good. That's why she was able to get a good win off of me. She never gives up, she's a big fighter. She gets a lot of balls back.

But I'm ready. It's time for me to step up my game and do what I know I can do and do what I'm best at.

Q. Do you enjoy playing a player that's beat you in the past?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I do. It represents a new challenge for me. It makes me realize, Okay, I have to work hard if I want to be able to get a win.

Q. Last year you talked about how you missed having your sister around in the house, how you stayed in the small room. You missed seeing her dancing in the morning. What's it like in the house right now?

SERENA WILLIAMS: It's good. It's like it's back to where it should be. We're both here, we're both playing opposite days. I know tonight I'm really quiet. I try to just walk around really lightly. She does the same thing for me.

Last night she was really quiet, went straight to her room. It just feels really good to have someone that you're really close to, that knows what you're going through.

Q. A different topic. Maybe you heard that John McEnroe made a suggestion about tennis without referees. He said it would be interesting or better if tennis was played without referees. What is your opinion on that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Like in juniors?

Q. With Hawk‑Eye so that you can see if a player is cheating on you, then you challenge.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. Maybe in an XO. I don't really care one way or the other. With or without, doesn't matter.

Q. One of the things that some Americans have said they have a hard time with in soccer is matches can end in ties. Can you imagine a tennis match ending in a tie, what your emotions would be after that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I never thought of it. I don't know. It's just not a possibility, not only for tennis but just in general for most American sports. It's not a possibility, so...

Yeah, I wouldn't know how I would feel. It would be weird.

Q. When the U.S. tied Portugal, how did you feel?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I was devastated. But there's always paper, rock, scissors to break a tie. That's how I always break ties.

Q. How do you lock in but not lock in too much when you know there's possibly a number of matches ahead?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, how do I lock in? I don't know.

I've been doing it for so long, it just kind of comes natural. It's almost innate now. I just know, Okay, this is what I want to do, this is what I want to kind of focus on.

Q. Without getting too worked up?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I guess.

Q. You mentioned you want to build throughout the tournament, presumably in the final.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I do like to feel great in the beginning, but I think it's also important not to peak too soon, keep working on your game, always have room for improvement.

I think in general I always have room for improvement in my game. I feel there's some things I still want to work on to hopefully stay in the tournament.

Q. In Dubai you said that the back wasn't a problem in that match. Would you say that you're feeling healthier and more fit now than then?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, absolutely. I definitely feel a lot better, yeah.

Q. You often talk about what a big fan you are of Rafael Nadal. You're both such warriors on the court. Do you think he would be the ultimate doubles partner for you?

SERENA WILLIAMS: There's so many good doubles players out there. Especially the way I performed in doubles yesterday, I definitely need to go with a doubles specialist that can kind of hold me up a little bit because I didn't play so well.

Q. If the USA get the result they want tonight, how far do you think they can go in the World Cup?

SERENA WILLIAMS: We can go all the way, right? We‑can‑go‑all‑the‑way.

Q. With each week that passes you set a new record as the oldest No.1. Do you amaze yourself? This is a lot.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I didn't know that, so... Sure. Really?

Q. So I'm told, so I've read.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I guess. I don't think about it.

Q. Your appetite seems stronger than ever.

SERENA WILLIAMS: It is stronger than ever. I feel like I still want to do more. I have a desire to do more.

Q. Madison Keys plays later today. She won a tournament last week. When you look at the young American women, would you say she has the best game for this surface? Who would you say has the best game for this surface?

SERENA WILLIAMS: She has a really big serve, so that really is able to help you out.

Yeah, I think so. I mean, she's such a great girl. She's such a great player. So, yeah, besides, she just does everything well. She always wants to get better. I think she really probably does have a really good game for this surface.

Q. What have been your observations of how Caroline Wozniacki has dealt with her personal life being so public, and what advice maybe have you given her?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, my advice is always just for Caroline and not for public, so I don't really talk about my advice.

Q. What are your observations of how she's handled it, including this week being very lighthearted in addressing questions about her personal life?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I'm just glad I'm not in that position where I have to address questions about my personal life. I've been known to deny a lot of things, so...

I'm really losing focus up here. I'm trying to figure out when this is going to end. What's the next question?

Q. Novak was in here yesterday saying he felt there weren't many personalities left in tennis. Do you feel that's the same in the women's game? Do you have to express your personality? Is that important?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I just think the longer these interviews go, I mean, maybe that's why at Wimbledon they have them long, because you get to see more of a person's personality, like the realness start creeping in.

I don't know. Yeah, this is getting‑‑ I can't answer that question. See, the questions change from tennis to Novak and then Rafa. It's no longer about the match.

Is this the last question?

Q. You forgot LeBron.

SERENA WILLIAMS: LeBron. Good Lord.

THE MODERATOR: Any other tennis questions?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Non‑personality questions, please (laughter).

Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports