Q. Are there any superstitions you have in Australia?
SERENA WILLIAMS: There's just one shower I always use here. You know, I always want the same locker, but I can't remember for the life of me what locker I use, so... I guess it doesn't necessarily work.
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Other Gems:
Q. What I'm trying to say is you seem much more slender than we've seen you at other times. Did that help you to bear up with all that heat?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I mean, maybe with the fat I would be able to, like, absorb more of the heat (laughter). It wouldn't necessarily bother me, so I don't know (smiling).
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Q. Are you superstitious at all? Do you think there's anything to the odd‑year theory of you winning here?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I am superstitious. But is there anything to the odd theory? No. One year I wasn't able to come back and defend my title. One year I went crazy. A couple years I went completely crazy. So hopefully I'll be able to stay focused this year.
Q. How would you define "completely crazy"?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Just making errors for no reason, acting up out there. I don't know. Playing like a loser, I guess.
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Q. Is it inspiring for you and your sister? Do you feel in some ways yourself and Venus have done in a sporting sense what Obama has done in a political sense?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I definitely think myself and Venus has opened up a lot of doors, being the first African Americans to do so much in tennis. But I never really look at that. I just look at trying to stay focused.
At the end of my career, I always thought I would go back and kind of dwell on that, because I don't want to get complacent and be like, Oh, I did this, I did that. It can become easy to become complacent with nine Grand Slams and counting (laughter).
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Q. If you were to take another Australian Open, that would be 10. Would you prefer to be doing that at home, be taking the US Open to make it the 10th Grand Slam?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely not. I probably should already have had 10. Wherever it comes, I'll be ready and willing and able to accept it.
