Some interesting stuff in ReRe's presser. She still crazy, don't get me wrong, but the presser was actually interesting. Girl was in a good mood, I guess.
Q. You and your sister have dominated Wimbledon for so many years now. Dinara Safina is the No. 1 seed this year. Wimbledon deserves the right to change the seedings. Do you think you or Venus should have been the No. 1 seed, especially with Venus defending?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I think Dinara should be the No. 1 seed. She's been really consistent the last couple months. She's earned that No. 1 ranking.
Q. A moment ago you gave your opponent today credit for lifting her game in the second set. What is your feeling after a match about giving credit to an opponent? As you know, different players approach that different ways. They either focus just on how they played, or they analyze how their opponent played. What is your approach when you speak to the press and you speak to others about assessing your opponent's game?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, I don't know. My approach is just to be me, and I never thought about that. I've never been asked that question all my years of playing.
So hurrah for a new question (smiling).
Q. After the French, some said maybe you should have given more credit to your opponent who defeated you. How tough is it, after a loss, to analyze the defeat and assess credit for your opponent?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I feel like I did give credit to Svetlana. I get along with her well. There's no problems between me and her.
I feel like I choked. I should have won the match and I didn't, and she went on to glory. That's just the bottom line. There's nothing else to be said about it.
Q. Do you know anything about your next opponent, Jarmila Groth?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm not too familiar. No. Where is she from?
Q. Used to be Slovakia, but now Australia.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Okay. Yeah, I do know her then.
Q. You've played her.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. So once I hear where they're from, sometimes I know who they are. Yeah, but I'm really familiar with her game. She's a good player, obviously. And, uhm, she's tough.
Q. There are so many new names in the game, many not from our country. Is it hard to follow who's who?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I just know the standard: everyone is from Russia. Sometimes I think I'm from Russia, too. I feel like, you know, okay, all these new ‑ovas. I don't know anyone. I don't really recognize anyone. You know, that's just how it is.
Q. So are you saying you came to Compton when you were seven years old from Russia?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I am, and I think my name must Williamsova.
Q. When you went home, did you spend any time thinking that you could have won the French Open, or did you just forget about it right away?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, well, that goes on the list of tournaments I should have won, so...
Well, I don't know if I should have won. I feel like I had a chance to win my quarterfinal match and I didn't. You know, I was more disappointed than normal, actually.
Q. Top three on your list of tournaments you should have won are?
SERENA WILLIAMS: That's one of 'em. Another French Open in '98.
Q. Was that Justine?
SERENA WILLIAMS: That was a long time ago. No, 1998 was against Sanchez. If I'd have just served and volleyed (laughter). I don't know the third one.
Q. What about Wimbledon against Maria in the final?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, you know, in that match I was really nervous. You know, I thought she played well, but I thought that I put too much pressure on myself. I actually learned from that. I just put way too much, and I couldn't get a shot.
So it wasn't like ‑‑ no, that doesn't go under that as one of those matches.
Q. Is it easier when you blow a match on a tactical basis, as in, I should have served and volleyed, versus when you blow it just from a mental point and a freeze‑up?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. They're both pretty difficult. But, you know, I try to learn from all experiences. You know, I try to think about other things that are maybe more important.
Q. And the reverse of that, do you think there's any big tournament that you won and said, Wow, thank you tennis gods, that was nice?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, maybe Indian Wells in '01. I definitely didn't expect to win that, as well as obviously Australia in '07. I didn't expect to win that.
Q. The roof, you've seen it now. What do you think of it?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, I just thought it was gonna rain. I thought, Well, if it rains, then I'll still play, so... Uhm, that's what I thought of it.
It's nice. It's really pretty.
