The quality isn’t the best on this video, but I’ve watched a bunch now, and this is the best available until the more official streams are released. I’ll post those when I find them. The trophy presentation is not included.
Still waiting for the post-match interview with Nadal to be posted - so let’s chat about his girlfriend. Nadal mentions in his blog that he’s not exactly happy about the recent attention given to his personal life, and that the widely distibuted photos of the gf are 2 years old. Here’s the info - nothing really new about them in the past few years - plus a few pics I could find:
Twenty-year-old Maria Francisca Perello, who comes from Nadal’s home town on the holiday island of Majorca, has been dating the player for three years.
But the down-to-earth beauty, whose nickname is Xisca, keeps away from the spotlight and rarely watches her boyfriend play, partly because she does not wish to distract him.
Nadal’s uncle and trainer, Toni Nadal, revealed: ‘I guess a lot of girls will be upset to know the truth.
‘My nephew always maintained he was single. It was a well-kept secret but actually his girlfriend is waiting for him in Majorca.’Described by friends as ‘an intelligent girl from a good local family’, Xisca is about to take her important exams in business at university in Majorca’s capital, Palma.
Her cousin Maria Perello Limones said: ‘She is a straightforward, no-nonsense girl not interested in glamour and fame.
‘You won’t see her rolling out of a nightclub or laden down with designer bags after a shopping spree.’That is just as well, because despite his wealth and fame, Nadal is a simple home-town boy who likes relaxing on the beach, fishing and sharing long meals with his family.
He still lives with his parents and sister in their luxury apartment.
Friend Pedro Hernadez explains: ‘Raf and Xisca are both very shy and ordinary people who like to live simply.
‘They are not at all interested in a celebrity lifestyle. They get together when the tournaments are over. That’s how Raf winds down.’
When back home in Manacor, an unfashionable industrial town in the heart of Majorca, Nadal and Xisca while away the days at the beach in nearby Porto Cristo.
They also spend a lot of time with each other’s families and Xisca is very close to Nadal’s grandmother.
The player is the town’s most famous son, but Xisca has kept such a low profile many locals are unaware of the relationship.
Earlier this year it was suggested that Nadal was infatuated with Danish tennis sensation Caroline Wozniacki, 18.
But the relationship has been emphatically denied by Nadal.
Indeed, his grandfather, also Rafael, confirmed: ‘I saw him and Xisca just before he flew to London and they looked great together.’ Daily Mail
As an aside, here’s a video of Caroline Wozniacki denying that she had a relationship with Nadal (English subtitles, about halfway through):
Rafael Nadal has been keeping a Wimbledon blog for the Times Online - covering everything from fan questions (I haven’t seen any about the wedgie pick yet) to crazy paparazzi incidents to practice and even recipes. Yeah, I said recipes. Here’s some excerpts:
Fan Questions
Are you a rough sleeper, meaning you usually wake up with your sheets, pillows, and hair all messed up?
Brandy, Memphis
Rafa: Yes.
Hello Rafa, first of all good luck for Wimbledon, this is a question outside of tennis hope you dont mind. Just want to know about your famous Pasta creation (with mushroom and shrimps) if its not a secret, can you please tell us fans what main ingredients you use besides the mushrooms and shrimps. Is the sauce tomato based or cream, and what other ingredients you use.
From your two Australian fans Hatice and Belin. Thank you.
Rafa: Many thanks. No, no, no sauce tomato and definitely not cream. I put oil on a pan and then cook sliced onions. once they are well done I put the mushrooms and after all that the gambas. I also put crushed chilis to make it a bit spicy. Then I cook the pasta and mix everything together, Very simple but very good.
Why have you changed your pre-serve routine?
Doris from Hamburg
Rafa: I am just a bit faster not to get warnings.
I’ve read that when you’re at home in Mallorca you enjoy going to the beach. What do you like to do there? Surfing? Volleyball? Building sand castles?
Katie, UK
Rafa: Just swimming, maybe doing some sports and what I like most is to go on the boat.
My question is a little bit indiscreet. For sleeping, do you wear pyjamas, underpants or nothing?
Céline, Paris
Rafa: Underpants
Stalker Paparazzi
One thing that did surprise me yesterday was the eight paparazzi waiting for me at a restaurant. I didn’t tell anyone I was going out and when I arrived they sort of attacked me. I don’t know if this is the right word, but believe me it was strange. Too much. I am a person that always works with media, does interviews with them, works closely with them, but I don’t find it fair that when I have a few hours free, with my family, simply going for dinner, they persecute me and get those pictures that they sell. I am a public figure, I understand, but I don’t live off publicity. I live off what I do on-court. I work there. But I feel this thing last night was too much. I am not complaining since it is not my style, and I am not going to hide and not go out because there might be paparazzi but I just find it unfair. But as I say this is the way it is and hopefully society will one day go against this kind of people.
Defending ATP’s Good People
And it’s been a while since I wanted to say this. I would like to send a big hello and give my support to Vittorio Selmi. He is an ATP employee and one of the men who really know about this sport. He is an open book. Knows the history of the game, was part of it, one of the pillars together with other people and a person really important that was always close. Well he is going through tough moments in his life since the management of the ATP, the top management, has put him aside. A person that has been working for 30 years for this sport doesn’t deserve this treatment. Something really bad from a human point of view that shows the type of people at the top of this organization, our organization, the one that is supposed to be representing us. Vitto, cheer up and hope to see you soon. We want you on top form!
On A Possible Knee Injury
Talking about that scare I really thought at that moment that I injured myself. I even thought about the ligament since I heard a crack. I was very scared, believe me. Then when Michael Novotny (the ATP trainer) and the tournament doctor came and checked it out, they told me it was normally OK and that I could continue to play. Scary moments when everything goes through your mind. Having to retire on the second game of the match in the 2nd week at Wimbledon is not precisely what you dream about. So the worries are big. But as I say everything is OK and hopefully tomorrow when I wake up the back part of the leg should be fine. I did a precautionary test after my press conference and I should be fit to play on Wednesday.
There’s tons more, some of it I am still trying to figure out (what the hell is “doing the dog at Roland Garros” ?) - check out the entire blog here.
And it came true!
Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7
Q. Did you say any thanks to the rains, the first delay? I think the rain helped you.
ROGER FEDERER: Look, I don’t know.
Q. To find your game.
ROGER FEDERER: I didn’t win the final, so it obviously didn’t help that much.
Q. It’s awfully soon afterwards, but how much can you appreciate what a fantastic match you were a part of?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, sort of. I mean, it’s sort of always nice to be part of them, you know. Probably later on in life, you know, I’ll go, That was a great match. But right now it’s not much of a how do you say a feel good thing, you know, or a positive thing to end this match. But from my side I thought I played well, you know, and everything. Missed too many chances obviously in the first couple of sets. But Rafa played well, you know. I’m happy we lived up to the expectations, you know. I’m happy the way I fought. That’s all I could really do.
Q. Was it too dark to play?
ROGER FEDERER: What can I tell you?
Q. Should it have had a better finish than that in near darkness?
ROGER FEDERER: It’s hard to tell. Look, it’s over, so… What’s the point arguing about it? It’s the way it is.
Q. Of all the shots that you’ve hit in your career, where would you rate the backhand that kept you in the match down match point?
ROGER FEDERER: Sure, I mean, it was an unbelievably important shot, you know, to hit. Probably was one of my first really backhand passing shots I hit all match. You know, to save it for match point was obviously great, especially after I think Rafa’s shot. He hit just the previous one, the forehand, you know. The passing shot he hit I thought it was all over really. So for me to come up with that one was a great feeling. I had to turn it around and push it to the fifth set, was awesome. I really thought, you know, with winning last year in five, with the momentum, that it was going to be enough. But, you know, it wasn’t, so it was quite unfortunate.
Q. How would you describe what Nadal did today?
ROGER FEDERER: Uhm, I think he played well. You know, I mean, I think he was rock solid the way we know him. He’s definitely, you know, improved his game, you know. But I think since the beginning of the year he’s been playing well. He’s been playing very consistent. He’s playing better on the quicker courts. I don’t think he really needed a match like this today to really prove himself.
But for some only trophies count. I sort of agree to some stages. But, no, I mean, he’s a great competitor, you know, a great player to play against, and I think he did very well today.
Q. What was your thinking on the very last shot when it was getting so dark? Did you just think, I’ll try to get it over and let him deal with trying to see it, try to get it back?
ROGER FEDERER: I don’t know. I was thinking first should I go up the line or cross court, and then I chose cross court and missed it. So, yeah, I mean, look, by that time maybe it was all over anyway, you know. But, yeah, maybe shouldn’t have missed the shot. Maybe wouldn’t have missed that on some other occasion. Who knows.
Q. Did you make any question about the light to anybody or you just kept playing?
ROGER FEDERER: Kept on playing. I didn’t argue. I think I guess I would have said something if I would have broken back to go, what was it, 8 All. Yeah, because, I mean, it wasn’t possible to play anymore, so… It would have been brutal for fans, for media, for us, for everybody to come back tomorrow. But what are you gonna do? It’s rough on me now, obviously, you know, to lose the biggest tournament in the world over maybe a bit of light, you know. It’s not the first time anyway against Rafa. Lost to him in Paris as well in the semis. So it’s not a whole lot of fun, but it’s the way it is. I can only congratulate Rafa for a great effort.
Q. Do you think the last chance you had to win this match was when you had a breakpoint to go 5 3 in the fifth or later on?
ROGER FEDERER: No, I mean, the chances were always there. I mean, I was ahead in the score, so that put pressure obviously on Rafa. I think I did well on a couple of big games to come back, you know, from Love 30, 15 40, and that increased pressure even more against him. I think I had once also maybe 30 All later on, or Love 15. I could have maybe put him under pressure just a little bit more, but I couldn’t be put myself in position. The one breakpoint I had, I mean, he hit a great forehand. I couldn’t really do a whole lot on that one.
Q. You lost 11 breakpoints out of the first 12. For what reason was that? You were nervous. Some returns were not at your usual standard, in my opinion. What do you think about it?
ROGER FEDERER: I mean, I wasn’t happy the way I was playing breakpoints early on, no doubt, except the one I made. It was fantastic. I was definitely struggling in the wind a little bit. It was very gusty early on. It was tough conditions, you know. Well, sometimes Rafa played great. He came up with some unbelievable passing shots when he needed to, you know. And then other ones I played poorly on them, which I just think maybe I should have really decided much more what I really wanted to do, you know. But Rafa keeps you thinking, and that’s what the best players do to each other in the end. Rafa also missed many opportunities later on. You always makes it hard for the opponent, and that’s what we both do to each other.
Q. We know how much you respect him. Especially after that tiebreaker, were there any points in there where you’re thinking, This kid has to fold up now? He has to be a little bit mentally crazy? A couple times you were down, served your way out of some real holes. Did you think at any point that he’s got to crack at some stage?
ROGER FEDERER: Not really. I was just hoping, you know, or I was seeing that he was getting very nervous, you know, in that, what was it, fourth set tiebreaker where, I mean, I think he should have never lost the breaker in the end, you know. But he was really nervous. He didn’t make the returns he usually does. He couldn’t play aggressive. I played some okay shots, and it was enough to come back. So, I mean, I really thought, you know, that he was feeling it really a lot, you know, maybe the first time in his life. So I was hoping, like I said, with the momentum going into the fifth set, that it was going to be enough just from my end that I would play a little bit better. But I couldn’t really, you know, play maybe my best when I really had to. And towards the end, like we know, with the light, it was tough. But it’s not an excuse. Like I said, Rafa served well and played well and deserved to win in the end.
Q. You have such a deep love of the game and respect for it. The match today had so many elements, such a high level. Leading commentators are already talking about it being the best match in the history of this game. Could you reflect on that. Can you sense people would put it in that strong context already?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, look, it’s not up to us to judge if it was the best ever. I think it’s up to fans and the media to debate. I’m happy we put in a great effort, Rafa and myself. You know, it was a fair battle, which was tough with the rain delays. You know, some great points. Really I just think we both played tough till the very end, you know. In tennis, unfortunately sometimes there has to be winners and losers. You know, there’s no draws. But I really had to push hard to come back. And I wasn’t able to break him, I guess, in the last three sets, but still I pushed him right to the edge, you know. I guess, you know, with the fading light even the victory became even more special, similar to, you know, when Pete won his, what was it, 14 again Rafter, you know, also in the fading light. That looked incredible. I wish obviously it was me with the trophy, but that’s the way it is now.
Q. Was this the toughest match of your career?
ROGER FEDERER: Probably my hardest loss, by far. I mean, it’s not much harder than this right now, so…
Sunday, 6 July 2008
ROGER FEDERER and RAFAEL NADAL on court interview
SUE BARKER: Roger, I know this must be so difficult for you, but you must know how popular and what a great champion you are to the people here. They’d like to hear your thoughts on the match, because you played such a part in such a wonderful final.
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, tried everything (smiling). Got a little late and everything.
But, look, Rafa’s a deserving champion. He just played fantastically.
SUE BARKER: And I guess it was just the emotion of it all and all the drama, all the rain delays. You had so much to put up with today.
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, didn’t make it easier, but you got to expect the worst. And it’s the worst opponent on the best court.
No, but it’s been a joy again to play here. A pity couldn’t win it under the circumstances, but I’ll be back next year.
SUE BARKER: That’s all we wanted to hear. That’s fantastic. I know it’s difficult.
ROGER FEDERER: Thank you.
SUE BARKER: Rafa, can you describe what you felt when you just fell to the floor, when you knew you were the Wimbledon champion?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, is impossible to explain what I felt in that moment, no? So just very, very happy for win this title, my favorite tournament for me. It’s a dream play in this court.
But win, I never imagine something like this. So very happy. Thank you very much, everybody.
SUE BARKER: But you really won it the hard way, didn’t you? I mean, how did you get yourself back having lost the championship points to keep yourself so mentally strong?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, disappointing for me I am in the same time like the best player of the history, Roger Federer. So is very tough always play against him, especially here. I have lots of chances for win before the match.
But just congratulate Roger, because he always fight unbelievable. His attitude is always excellent when he win, when he lose. So just thank you very much Roger. His attitude is very good for the tennis.
SUE BARKER: And the fact that you beat Roger here on Centre Court in arguably one of the greatest finals we’ve ever seen. Does that make this even more special?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, for sure, you know, win Roger here after five years, I lost the last two finals, close finals. But he’s still the No. 1. He’s still the best. He’s still five‑time champion here. Right now I have one, so for me it’s very, very important day.
SUE BARKER: I know the first thing you wanted to do was to run up to see your father and your uncle that’s been your coach and such a support to you. What did they say to you up there?
RAFAEL NADAL: Just thank you very much for his support, for their support all the time, coming with me, my uncle, my family. The rest of the family are there. So everybody, thank you very.
SUE BARKER: Big celebration planned?
RAFAEL NADAL: No big celebration. I forgot one thing. Just thank you very much the Prince and Princess for coming watch my final today.
Sad Federer.
Nadal in action.
Mirka seemed to have faith in boyfriend Federer throughout the match.
Nadal wins it!
More sad Feds.
Third time is the charm.
Even more sad Feds. Can I make this one my desktop background?
Oh, I’m going to use Nadal’s win for all it is worth.
There is now, finally, an official end to many of the (admittedly amazing) records that Federer was building up. He had 65 grass courts wins straight, 40 of those from Wimbledon. He has 5 previous Wimbledon titles and was looking to break into six to beat out Bjorn Borg’s record 5 straight Wimbledon titles. Federer was looking to also add a Slam title to his collection of 12 to try to break the Sampras record of 14. That record will not fall in 2008.
But much of that is over now - the 4 hour 48 minute match put the first Spaniard in the Wimbledon champion position since 1966 (Manolo Santana, who attended the match today), and the first man to win both Roland Garros and Wimbledon back to back since Bjorn Borg in 1980. Borg was there to watch this match, and had previously predicted that Nadal had the edge in this final. I’ll see if we can dig up any video of Borg’s reaction - he was very calm throughout the match.
I’m fairly certain that the police will be visiting me soon because of all the screaming I just unleashed on my neighbors - but I have been waiting YEARS to write this very blog post, and I honestly didn’t think it would be happening today. Rafael Nadal took the match in 5 sets, 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7. I will obviously be posting video, interviews, photos, and anything else I can get my happy little hands on.
I think John McEnroe is seeing the decline of Federer in this match - he is nearly in tears interviewing Federer and asked for a hug from him! He claims Feds was nearly in tears too…
I’m, of course, fully behind the theory that Roger has already peaked - what do you think? Is this the proof?
Venus. Williams def. Serena Williams 7-5, 6-4
Q. Could you talk about the primary emotion you felt when you won it?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, obviously that first match point she hit a serve that was untouchable. So, of course, I mean, that’s classic Serena Williams.
But in that last one, I mean, I had a chance at a second serve: the ultimate opportunity. So I just stayed tough in that opponent, and she was going for it until the end. Of course when I saw it go wide, I’m thinking, Oh, my God, it’s five. Wow.
Q. Five titles?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Five titles. Just five titles. It’s the first thing that popped into my head.
Q. How concerned were you early? She came out in a ferocious mood, playing well.
VENUS WILLIAMS: To be honest, this is the Wimbledon final, so of course I expected her to play that well. And, of course, I mean, she’s Serena Williams. She can pull out anything. I did expect her to just be all over anything I put out there. But I didn’t really think a lot; I just kept playing, and it wasn’t looking that great, you know. 3-1, 4-2, but then when it got to be even it was closer.
Q. Can you just talk a little bit about the conditions, which were obviously pretty awkward. I mean, you kept pulling out of your serve. Serena didn’t seem to pull out of her serves at all.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was windy, and the wind kept blowing and swirling. The longer the match went on, it kept changing directions. At first, it was only windy on one side, then it was windy on both. I could see the wind blowing on her side, but it wasn’t windy on my side yet. So, you know, it was tough out there, but I just needed to take my time until I got a good toss.
Q. What is your approach to the post-match celebration on court, and how does it differ when you play Serena versus anybody else?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, because I think that — when the match is that close it’s obviously more exciting to win. And, of course, if it’s a 6-2, 6-3 win, the celebration isn’t as elated because you’re just cruising to glory. But I was pretty excited about that win because it was so close. You know, I’m definitely more in tune with my sister’s feelings because one of us has to win and one of us has to lose. Of course the celebration isn’t as exciting because my sister just lost.
Q. To what degree, if any, does that detract from your enjoyment of the moment?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, you could never detract from winning a Wimbledon (smiling). So, of course it doesn’t detract from that. But I’m definitely thinking about how my sister’s feeling.
Q. With the exception of the early part of this match, your serving throughout this tournament has been very dominant. Could you talk a bit about just how much emphasis you put on your serve, and with particular reference to the number of body shot serves that you’ve hit in this tournament.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, body is my favorite here. You can’t defend it, I mean, especially if — I mean, I’m hitting it with a lot of pace. My second serve, I hit it with a lot of pace, too. So even if my opponent knows where it’s going, if it’s on the line, close to a hundred miles an hour, it’s tough to return. So the serve has been key for me here. I never felt very happy about my groundstrokes here. But my serve, I felt like any time I needed it, it was putting me out of any bind. As long as I could get a return in, then, you know, the win was coming for me.
Q. You’re only the third, if I’m correct, along with Martina Navratilova and Graf, to win as many as five Wimbledons in the modern era. What do you think of that? Does that make you think, I’m up there with the all-time greats, anything like that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think definitely winning this tournament so many times definitely puts you in the stratosphere, to be honest, just because of what this tournament means. I think had I had this achievement at any other tournament it would have been awesome, but not nearly the same meaning at Wimbledon. I think the difference is just because of the prestige of this event.
Q. Serena had more aces, more winners.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Really?
Q. You played bigger in the big points. She was 2 for 13 on breakpoints; you were 4 for 7. How were you able to be bigger on the big points?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I felt pretty relaxed out there today. I mean, when the match points came, I mean, I was a little tight, but that’s normal. But mostly because her serve is so good, I’m hoping that I can get my racquet on it to be in that point. So it’s a lot of not pressing too hard ’cause you know if you get a chance that you have to do something with it. But I think I was maybe a little bit more relaxed than her.
Q. An all-Williams final. Is this a start of a second era of dominance for the sisters at the top of the women’s game?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I would love that. The main goal for both of us is to stay healthy. We’ve both worked really hard this year, and I think the results showed here, both in the singles and the doubles. So the goal is to stay healthy so that way we can play singles and doubles and have a lot of fun with it.
Q. Besides the number of Wimbledon titles, can you let us into any of the things that motivated you tennis-wise in the recent past that raised your level between the French and now to do so well?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Uhm, I just feel like a lot of times I’m unlucky at the French. I come in with a sickness or injury, and I try to win, but I’m just not lucky. I find that happens a lot at the French and the Australian. A couple of times here, too, when I had my early losses. But, I mean, obviously coming off those losses I’m just like, This can’t be my life; I have to do better. So I think that’s what motivates me.
Q. When you play Serena, do you look at her as playing and African or playing a Russian that you need to trash?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No. At no point am I ever able to forget that it’s Serena, because I have the ultimate respect for her game and I have a lot of respect for her serve. If I was playing anyone else I wouldn’t have to face what I had to face today, so it’s impossible to forget.
Q. There was the critical let call. What are your thoughts on that? Could you imagine any of the other girls on tour giving you the point?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No. Serena is the ultimate sportsperson. We both are. I think we play, we keep playing. We don’t take injury timeouts. We just play. We don’t question too many calls. And I would expect from her to be the ultimate sportsperson. I was confused as to what was happening. I didn’t know if the ball was in, out, or what had happened. So I had no idea what the call was, to be honest, until the umpire told us.
Q. Have you had a chance to have a chat with Serena? If you have, can you share some of that with us?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No, we didn’t talk so much because I was on the court for a minute there. You know, there’s a lot of people in the hall when you pass by, so I’m going to see her after and we’re going to get ready for doubles.
Q. Can you share what you’re going to say to her?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No plans. Just the usual.
Q. You now have five titles. Can you allow yourself to dream of targeting Martina’s nine?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, my God. That would be the ultimate. That’s not easy. Her career also spanned like three decades, so I’m not sure if I have that much time. If I did, I think I would definitely dream of that. So, you know, tennis is so much different now. You know, tennis is a big business now. You know, all the tournaments, the draws, and the players, it’s just so different that the pressures are different.
Q. You seem to be able to keep yourself fresh not doing as many tournaments.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I’ve had my fair share of downtimes. I try to stay as fresh as I can, with God’s blessing.
Q. You’ve earned the right to go home and put the racquet down and indulge yourself for as long as you want before Los Angeles. What are you going to do?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I can’t wait to see my dog. I love that little guy. He’s my favorite. My favorite dog ever. I have to play TeamTennis, so I’ll do that. I want to take a break from eating five meals a day. I’m gonna cut back and eat a light breakfast and maybe two meals, not five and six meals like every day I have.
Q. We can see you’re getting real heavy.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I can tell (smiling).
Q. It’s hard to judge when you’re playing sometimes, but where would you put the level of play today compared to the other matches you all have played over the years?
VENUS WILLIAMS: You know, uhm, I think the level of play was really high. I think a lot of the times one of us was overpowering the other. So I hit a hard ball on the line, she can’t get it back. Or, you know, I tried to go for too much because I’m anticipating that she’s gonna run my shot down. Or I hit a huge serve, she hits one I can’t return. So in between us overpowering each other we had, I think, some really competitive rallies and intense points, you know, where one player would come back and take the point, when it looked like the other player was gonna win. So, you know, we’re both very powerful, and I think it showed out there.
Q. Can you tell us a little about your morning, the day before the match. Did you spend some time together with Serena?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, we said, Okay, we’re eating breakfast. We always have lunch for breakfast to stay fueled. We’re both trying to choke it down. Okay, only two more matches. This is the last time we have to do this. Just encouraging each other. Just that, you know, we’re eating lunch again, two lunches before the match. It’s like, It’s the last time. It’s okay. That’s pretty much the atmosphere beforehand. Just still encouraging each other, not with specific advice like, Yes, serve me body, okay, because that’ll work good for you. None of that. But still encouraging each other to eat and be healthy.
Q. In the middle of winter when your mind turns to Wimbledon, what is the one thing or vision that comes to your mind?
VENUS WILLIAMS: In the middle of the winter?
Q. When you’re far away from here.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don’t think about Wimbledon that much. It seems so far away. I have my eye on the Australian, obviously. Just hopefully healthy enough to play, which in the last few years I’ve been hoping that more than anything.
Q. There were some points today where Serena really ran you from one side of the court to the other it seemed. You kept getting to shots it seems very few people could. When you’re able to get all those balls, get them back strong, do you get any sense that this is demoralizing Serena?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, to be honest, I felt like, I’m not running fast enough. I should be hitting more of an offensive shot. Why am I hitting this shot. You can do better. That’s mostly what I’m thinking. The funny part is when I see the tape. I’m like, Wow, how did I do that? How did I cover that shot? So when I do see the film, then I do have to give myself a little credit. But when I’m out there I’m like, This is not good enough. It’s funny.
Q. How did losing here twice to Serena sit with you, and what does today’s experience do to those memories?
VENUS WILLIAMS: The times I lost, I tried. She put a ton of pressure on me. She hit my best serve back for winners, just was unbelievable, and she just played better. So there was not much I could do. I tried. Obviously today I wanted to try to improve that record, and I didn’t want the same trend to keep happening and then be like 6-1. So I climbed a tiny little notch up, so it’s 2-5. Still behind, but I’m working on it.
Q. If Serena had won today, you being the defending champion, how would that have affected your experience?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think I would have been happy for her. I would have been more disappointed that I didn’t have — about the number. Like five is really monumental. Like last year I thought four was incredible, but now five is — I would have been more disappointed about not being able to make the history than actually not winning the match, if that makes any sense. So more about that.
Q. It’s very impressive the way both of you honor your parents and bond as a family. Do you attribute that to your faith, your upbringing, or is it just coming naturally? Do you recommend that to youths all over the world?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, our upbringing, we’re taught to respect our parents, and also religious upbringing, you know. At least in the Bible it says that you if obey your parents all will go well with you, and I respect my parents. I would never give them a hard time. I would never want them to worry. For me, I feel happy when they’re happy with me, so…
Q. You’ve been training seriously or playing professional tennis for 18 years of your life now. Do you and Serena sometimes sit down and reminisce about the journey you’ve made from Compton, California, to the finals at Wimbledon?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, actually this morning I was just saying — I was asking Serena if she remembered the match when, I don’t know, I was in Sydney playing some match and Serena was watching my match and she finds out that she’s gonna be on court in about 10 minutes, and so she runs from my match to go play her match.
We were just talking about that. That was maybe in ‘98. So we do sometimes talk about the things in the past, just some of the things that have happened have been so amazing that we definitely draw a lot of energy and inspiration from it.
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