Serena Williams joined the exclusive class of All-time Grand Slam winners following her success at the US Open. She opens up on her ambition and her fears
The moment really seemed to hit you out on the court there. Was it the No. 18 that really came through to you?
Yes, it was definitely the number 18. I have been trying to reach it for so long, since last year. Well, since the beginning of the year. I didn’t really think I would I get there. I just felt so good.
What does it mean for you overall to be up there with the other great names?
It means a lot to me. You know, I just could never have imagined that I would be mentioned with Chris Evert or with Martina Navratilova, because I was just a kid with a dream and a racquet. Living in Compton, you know, this never happened before. You know, I just never could have imagined that it could have ended — not ended. I’m just beginning. Well, I’m not beginning, but I could have gotten this far, you know. So it was just — I think it was — and then it was eluding me for three tournaments, I guess. But, still that’s a lot for me. I was like, you know, really excited to get it.
You never lost more than three games per set in this tournament. By the end, every time you win you seemed so excited, almost unbelievable. How do you explain? They are easy matches or not?
No, none of the matches are easy. I mean, even today if I would have lost a game I would have been serving for it. Caroline was returning, starting to play a lot better, starting to return really, really well, and then she started serving really well. So we had longer points and we were running back and forth and back and forth. So it definitely wasn’t anything that was easy.
You downplayed a little bit the fact that this was your last chance at a Grand Slam title this year and that it wasn’t that essential.
I definitely did not think I was going to win a slam this year. And I even said, I’m ready to start next year already. Let’s put this behind me. Oh, I’m embarrassed. I feel really honoured and I feel really good. Just almost lost for words. I’m grateful to win a Grand Slam this year. It feels really good.
Could you just take a moment and in your own mind what do you think your achievement is? Where do you think you belong in this history of the game, if you could share with us that?
I don’t think about it so much because I’m still playing. I’m already looking at maybe No. 19. So I’m not thinking about it so much as — I think once you do you become a little satisfied. I have said this before: I don’t want to become that. I want to continue to rise and continue to play really hard and do the best that I can.
Outside the world of tennis you have had numerous exciting moments. Anything close to this, or what would be second to this outside of tennis?
I haven’t had any kids yet, so I would imagine maybe something like that. This is pretty high on my list.
What does this do to you going forward? Weight off your shoulders, 18? Do you feel like now you’re a little unburdened? Did you feel like that was weighing on you, slowing you down as you approached this?
It was definitely on my shoulders. It was definitely like, Oh, get there, get there, get there. Now I’ve gotten there, so now it’s a little bit of a relief. Like I said, I got stuck at 13 for a while. I said, I’m going to get over it one day. I don’t know when, but I knew it would happen. I didn’t know it would happen so soon. But, yeah, I feel really excited.
Can you take us back to after Wimbledon and what your mindset was then after another early loss at a Grand Slam tournament? Did you think at all how you wanted to change things?
Yeah, just after Wimbledon I was just so disappointed. Because like I said, I worked so hard. Six hours literally just training, training, training, nonstop. After that, I thought, maybe I shouldn’t train so much because the results aren’t coming. Maybe I should just, you know, try something new. I just went away for a week and a half and I didn’t practise as much. I practised, but I didn’t practise as long. I made sure I hit every day. At that moment I also realised I just needed to relax a little more. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I don’t have to put pressure on myself, because like I said, I don’t have to win another title. I always have my little 18 bracelet now. I’m good to go.
You have now won it more than anyone with your sixth win. How does that feel?
It feels great. I never thought I would have won this one six times, because I won Australian five times and Wimbledon five times. I think I only won the Open like three times; now it jumped to six. Yeah, it’s really pretty cool.
Wozniacki said that perhaps after the first three majors you wanted to prove something to yourself, and that it showed in the way you played this summer and at the US Open. What do you think you have proven to yourself?
I think if anything I have proven that I can play a lot of matches. I have played a lot of matches in the past five weeks. I think I have proven I have the discipline to just be able to go in and out and just perform in every match and every tournament that I play and just give 100%. I was doing that so well, so well last year, and I wasn’t able to do it as much. Even though I tried just as hard, I just wasn’t able to do it as well this year. So it was good to get that feeling back.
Did you prove anything else to yourself at the Open?
No. I really had no expectations coming into this US Open. My goal was just to get past the third round, maybe the fourth round, because it was just really difficult for me in the majors. My goal was just to win some matches.
Where does the bracelet (marked number 18) rank in your jewellery collection?
Well, I don’t really have like a tremendous amount of jewellery, to be honest. Yeah, I don’t really have a lot of jewellery. So this is good. This will be something — I’ll see if I can play with it. I’m not sure if I can. It’s pretty cool.
Wozniacki is a class act and a good friend. What was it like to come out and play someone across the net that you have feelings for, so to speak?
It’s definitely not easy, you know, but I think we both wanted to win this. We both wanted to do the best that we could. And like I say, I’ve play against Venus, so I think that helped me a lot to be able to — if I can play against her, I can really handle anything at this point.
When you and Venus get together and you’re looking at one another, what kind of conversations and what kind of feelings are exchanged?
We just say that — we say things like we deserved this win because we worked hard, but we don’t really — I think we’ll have those conversation when we retire, and hopefully that will be a long time from now. Right now we just really want to be in there. We want to win matches. We want to win titles. We want to do really well. We just don’t talk about that right now.
How has your relationship with this tournament changed? It was the first one you won. Now it’s the most you have had of any of the slams.
It’s great. It’s been great. First one I have won. It’s always been special and the one that’s been my dream to win. It’s always just been super special for me.
You have done so well in Melbourne; you love Paris, the wins there. How can you compare these different jewels? What’s the different feelings?
The feeling is the crowd here is unbelievable. It really is a great crowd here. It feels so good to have the support of the crowd and hear the roar. It’s like no other roar at any stadium like the one on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It’s a great feeling. I think it’s my favourite feeling.
You said 18 was a burden, so I will be the first to ask: Are you thinking about 22?
No. I am thinking about 19, which I’m kind of disappointed. Hasn’t even been three hours and I’m already — I have already mentioned 19. Oh, gosh. So, yeah, but not 22. I’m taking it one at a time.
Forgetting about the numbers, what about that mythical title, greatest of all time? To what degree do you hear people saying that and how does it affect you?
I have heard it, obviously, but I don’t think about it. Like I said, I’m just a simple individual who just wants to win titles and wants to play tennis. I want to do really well and I love the game. The reason I play is to sit at the end of the day and hold the trophy or stand and hold the trophy. For me, that’s my joy. Agency report
