TENNIS WTA MONTREAL – 4th of August. An interview with Serena Williams
Q. You’re coming off a win. How do you feel about your game heading into the tournament?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Really good. Definitely was excited to get that win under my belt. But that was already last week, so now I’m moving on to this week.
Q. Do you feel tired with the jetlag and everything?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not at all. I don’t feel tired at all. I didn’t really sleep. For some reason I’m still going.
Q. We know that you love Paris. Is there anything you get off on with Montréal, with the French vibe?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It does have that mixture European vibe mixed with the USA. I think it’s almost a perfect mixture, which makes it such a great city.
So, I don’t know. You know, I love Europe. It kind of gives me my little European fix by coming to Montréal.
Q. Can you talk about how you’re looking at the summer tournaments leading up to the US Open, whether the chase for the 18th Grand Slam has been a burden or something joyful or something in between?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think the summer tournaments, I’m trying to do my best, not in the tournaments but in each match more than anything. Just try to improve with each match.
As for chasing the 18th one, that thing has been avoiding me. So hopefully one day I’ll catch up with it (smiling).
Q. Hometown girl Eugenie Bouchard, a big crowd favorite here. If you keep winning, you’ll end up in the quarterfinals against her. What do you think of her chances playing against you?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I think she has a really good chance. She’s had a stellar year, to be honest. She’s done better than me in a lot of the tournaments.
Yeah, I think it will be a really good matchup. I hope I can get there. I feel like she’ll be there regardless, so yeah.
Q. You’ve reached 200 weeks at No. 1. How do you feel about that? What are your thoughts?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, it’s cool. I feel really good about it. It’s really awesome for me. I’m really kind of excited that I was able to get to 200. Yet another check off the list.
Q. Another milestone?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah.
Q. The Australian and Roland Garros on your mind at all?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Not so much. A little bit. But right now I’m kind of just focused on the singles, having fun, enjoying each year that I’m able to go.
Q. Bouchard is obviously a big story here. What do you remember about being a phenom, what you found easy to handle or what you enjoyed or didn’t enjoy?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you know, when you’re young, coming on the scene, everything is so exciting. Especially if you’re doing so well, it’s even better. You have an opportunity to be great and it just feels really good.
But obviously you’re not thinking about it at that age. I think I kind of reflect on it more. Kind of when you’re younger, you’re just living in the moment.
