MASON, Ohio?Hours before main draw matches began at the Western & Southern Open, noise and people and hope filled the players lounge. Bernard Tomic walked through a side door with racquets in tow and, across the big, busy room, Igor Andreev typed away at a computer. Sitting on a couch in a quiet corner, or perhaps it seemed so because of its current occupant, was seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams. She looked as regal as you?d expect and possessed legs longer than you figured. Her dog Harold sat next to her, his head sticking out of the black handbag that held the rest of him. He sniffed the voice recorder at the start of the interview, and at the end, upon discussion, we asked him a question or two. He had no answers, but we did get quite a few from his owner, who withdrew from the tournament with a viral illness but was in town Sunday to fulfill tour obligations. We chatted with Venus about her trophies, interviewing tips, little sis, the upcoming U.S. Open and more.
What have been your proudest moments, on court and off?
I guess the times that it seems like you shouldn?t win but I?ve been able to grab the win. I don?t know. There?s been so many, many, many, many matches that it?s hard to pick just one. Off the court I guess my proud moments are just being a big sister?I enjoy being a big sister.
How are you as a little sister? Going by number of sisters, you?re more of a little sister than a big sister.
Yeah, I?m pretty low on the totem pole. There?s a lot of people ahead of me, but I only have one person that I need to be a role model for. At the end of the day I guess we all influence each other.
You have seven majors. Is there one that stands out for you?
All seven. (Laughs) They?ve been awesome times. I mean, one led to the next. Winning the first one is huge. Maybe the first one is just kind of breaking down all the walls to get ready for the next one.
On court what do you do better and worse now than when you first started playing?
I think I have a lot better strategy, and I?m able to think through things a lot better. Obviously understanding the game better is huge. Worse? Maybe I think more than I used to in the past, which can also be an Achilles heel. Because when you?re younger and you don?t have any strategies, you just hit the ball. Looking back, I don?t remember any strategy. I?m sure I had some, but I just hit the ball. So I?m not sure how I won matches, but I did. There?s definitely a benefit to [not thinking too much], not an overwhelming benefit but definitely a benefit.
Who are some of the best players you?ve played apart from Serena?
Obviously all the players who I played in my time who were at the top of the game?Hingis or Davenport or, even now, Clijsters or whoever you want to name?they?re all great players. [If you had to pick, say, two?] Obviously I played Serena a lot, and I played Lindsay a lot. I think she was a great player. [Apart from Serena] I would say Lindsay was probably the best one.
How about Steffi Graf and Monica Seles?
I didn?t play Steffi a lot and Monica I had a really strong record against. I think she was a great player, but I had a strong record against her.
Did you have any childhood tennis heroes?
I definitely watched a lot of Monica Seles. I started grunting because she grunted and guess I never looked back. I don?t even know why Serena grunts, but regardless?now I?m a grunter.
You consider yourself a grunter?
Yeah, I grunt all the time. I grunt in practice and everything.
Grunting is being talked about a lot again. Did you notice that?
I don?t listen to the commentary too much. Hopefully most of the time I?m able to be playing instead of listening on TV. I don?t know, because I don?t read a lot of press. So I?m not sure what the whole vibe is or what people are saying. I kind of stay from all of that stuff, especially topics like grunting which aren?t really relevant to real tennis.
Talking about not reading press, when asked at Wimbledon what advice you?d give Laura Robson one of the things you said is to not read a lot of press about herself. Can you elaborate on that?
You know, it?s already hard enough to be at the top level that you want to be at. And it?s even tougher when you?re reading press and blogs and a thousand million other people?s opinion of you. No one can perform under those kinds of circumstances. Except maybe a President or something, and he has a whole Cabinet. (Laughs) It?s just important to keep your own thoughts in your head and keep those positive.
Do you follow President Barack Obama much?
No, I don?t follow a lot of politics at all.
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| Wherever Venus goes, little sister Serena usually isn't far behind. (AP Photo) |
What?s the best two pieces of advice your parents gave you?
Put God first, and put family first. That helps you to really have perspective.
What about on the tennis court?
Run for every ball. Stay positive.
Why do you think a parent-child coaching arrangement worked for you and Serena when it hasn?t for some?
Well I think that parents and children will have to know their roles. Thankfully everything worked out for us?strong, nice parents, our sisters are very supportive, but also Serena and I have our own minds. We were raised to have our own minds so we could make our own decisions.
Do you recommend the arrangement for others?
I don?t know what to tell anybody else. Everyone?s path is always a little different. I think if your parents are positive and you can get along with them, it?s a good idea. But if you can?t, maybe separate it.
How have your roles as coach and student changed over the years? It?s been more than 15 years.
I think it?s just important to continue to listen. It?s easy to kind of tune things out when you?ve been working with someone for a long time. It?s not easy to be a coach. It?s not easy to be a student either.
Does Serena do anything that surprises you on court or off?
No, nothing surprises me on or off the court. I know her pretty well. I believe in her on and off the court.
A long time ago you and Serena had a tennis newsletter. Any chance that will come back?
It?s still making a comeback. It?s hard to write and edit a paper. It was so much fun. We interviewed Sampras, Gimelstob? It was really short-lived, but it?s legendary at this point I guess. (Laughs)
Do you have any interview tips based on what you learned from that experience?
Definitely come into the interview prepared. We came into one interview, and we hadn?t really done our homework. And we realized it?s not really as easy as it looks. So after that we came prepared with questions and background information and goals. So quick learn.
And you did some more interviewing for your book Come to Win?
I have to say, I didn?t really like doing interviews. I was always really nervous. I just wanted to make sure I didn?t talk over someone or interrupt them. And trying to get in all the questions in the allotted time and hopefully get enough information. I just didn?t enjoy the interviews as much.
Could you see yourself being WTA CEO one day?
No. I?ve lived a lot of dreams in tennis, and I have some dreams outside of tennis that I?m going to go for after this.
Like what?
Especially in the design world. There?s a lot of things I?d like to do in fashion and interiors, so that?ll be a lot of work in itself.
Your WTA bio says you like to get packages. What?s the last package you received?
I just like to receive fun packages. I don?t open the packages with orthotics in them or the sports shorts. (Laughs) I?ll open the ones with the DVDs and the new books and the new clothes. I got a textbook in my last package?I find those exciting, sadly. [What subject?] Organizational behavior.
If you were writing a story on the U.S. Open what storylines would you focus on this year?
I don?t know. I guess I?m not into the big story, because the big story never is the story?you can?t predict how these tournaments are going to go. So it [would be] just a story that hopefully people are interested in, that would be fun to read.
Let?s say you wanted to write a fun story, what would it be?
I would talk about [something] like, The Karaoke Times of the Williams Sisters. (Laughs)
You?ve said you tend to base your goals around the Olympics these days. Have you made plans for mixed doubles yet?
I?ll have to be in the shape of my life to play 90 matches in eight days. I don?t commit?I?m not a committer. Hopefully whoever is playing well at the time and has a serious winning attitude, hopefully I?ll be able to play with them.
Do you watch much tennis when you?re not playing?
Yeah, I do watch a lot of tennis?a ton, maybe too much. I like to watch the women more than the men.
Who are the young players you can see doing well in, say, five years?
I don?t know, because I never pick the right player. The player that I think will be good never is good. And the one I don?t think is the best one is always the best. So I?m no scout?I?ll be honest with you on that.
Who else do you like to watch playing?
I actually like watching the legends a lot. They think a little bit different on the court, so I like it when they show some of the older players or the older matches. I?ve watched Billie Jean King play. I?ve watched Ashe and Connors. I really enjoy that.
Think you?ll play the U.S. Open?
That?s my goal obviously. That?s what I?m aiming for the next couple of weeks.
What are your goals for the rest of your career?
To continue to play championship tennis is always my goal, so that?s the plan.
Source: http://feeds.tennis.com/~r/tenniscom-features/~3/uAuAaD4C6kU/
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