Serena Williams’ brilliant response when asked about what love means to her
Post-match interviews can always be a bit odd when you’re Serena Williams. A question about love had her at her brilliant best.
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Serena Williams has been asked just about every question you can imagine.
The beauty of grand slam tournaments is that the world‘s media gets an opportunity after every match to throw whatever they want at the GOAT of women’s tennis.
Try and think of the most obscure things you‘d ask a sporting superstar and Williams has had it put to her.
Just as a snapshot, over the past week at the Australian Open she‘s spoken about Tom Brady, Florence Griffith Joyner, Jesus and Robert Downey Jnr.
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On Friday she was quizzed about Valentine‘s Day and what the word “love” means to her with tennis.
This is when Williams is at her best. There is no change of expression on her face, just a deadly stare straight down the camera barrel.
“I love 6-love, as long as I have 6, as long as I have 40, I love 40 love. As long as I don‘t have love, then I’m doing good in tennis, on the court,” she said.
The overseas journalist, who is asking the question via Zoom from his living room, gives it another go.
“I think if I didn‘t love, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I wouldn’t be in Australia if I didn’t love what I do,” Williams said.
“I think that love is one of the single greatest things in the world that you can have. It propels you to be your best in your job, whether it‘s playing tennis or whether it’s doing something else.
“But I think it can make you be better at whatever you do.”
At 39 the love is still strong and it‘s certainly helped when there is a sizeable carrot being dangled in front.
Williams hasn‘t won a major for four years – the 2017 Australian Open – which has kept her on 23, one short of Margaret Court’s grand slam record.
Her fourth-round opponent on Sunday hadn‘t even played in a grand slam tournament back then.
Aryna Sabalenka was a teenager battling away in qualifying at Melbourne Park in 2017.
These types of scenarios are what Williams faces almost every week now. A young opponent on the rise who is in awe of her – Sabalenka has Serena listed as an idol on her bio.
The hard-hitting Belarusian is one of the most improved players in the women‘s game after a dominant late burst in 2020 saw her earn the No.7 seed at Melbourne Park.
While the pair have never played, Williams is well aware of what the Belarusian brings to the table and sees a bit of herself in the 22-year-old.
“She hits very hard. She has a big, big power game. She‘s a big girl. Strong like myself so I think it will be a really good match.”
Williams was then asked to cast her mind back 20 odd years to when she was in Sabalenka‘s position as a youngster on the rise and what players she got excited about playing.
“There‘s been several players like that from Steffi Graf to Monica Seles,” she said. ”So many different players that I was excited to be able to play. Yeah, it was really cool. Cool moments.”
Sabalenka is looking for a cool moment and even described the opportunity to play the GOAT as chasing a “thrill”.
“I never played against her and I was trying to don‘t look in the draw, but some people tell me that I might play against her,” she said.
“I saw that and I was like, `OK I‘ll just leave it for now’ because I needed to go through (Ann) Li first (in third round).
“It‘s a big challenge and I really want to, how to say, to thrill myself. I want to get this thrill.
“Can I say thrill? I said it right. So it‘s going to be a thrill. But, yeah. I’m going to do everything I can.”
Sabalenka wasn‘t even born when Williams turned professional at the age of 14 in 1995.
She recalled the moment she first saw the GOAT play when she was around 13 years old and was immediately transfixed.
“I was thinking like, `Wow, she‘s really powerful’. And, yeah, I think I said I'll want to hit even stronger than her’,” she says with a smile.
“I don‘t know if it was smart or not, but at that point I was thinking like, ‘Wow, she’s really powerful’.
“I want to be powerful too, and want to dominate on the tour the same like she does.”
And like every good love story, it’s all about the thrill of the chase.
WORLD GOES WILD FOR SERENA INTERVIEW
Once foes on the court, Serena Williams and Jelena Dokic met again in the middle of Rod Laver Arena — and the world loved it.
It wasn’t as it once was — opponents — but as victor and interviewer, the latter a little nervous about the ensuing questioning.
Dokic: “I just have to say, it’s so good to see you again,”
Williams: “You too.”
Dokic: “We used to share a court together. Haven’t seen you in a while, now were sharing the court again. You’re still doing your thing and winning, I’m in a little bit of a different capacity in a different role and I’m just hoping you’ll be a little bit less brutal than when I played you because I’m still a bit nervous to interview you.”
Williams: “We’ve had some formidable matches.”
Dokic: “A couple, but I think they were a little bit more enjoyable for you than they were for me.”
🎾🎾🎾
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 12, 2021
"It's the best socially distanced sport."
Sure is, @serenawilliams 💯#AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/naJkFQtcmv
"She technically already has an Australian Open title."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 12, 2021
—Serena on her daughter Olympia, who she was pregnant with when she won the 2017 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/PrxSzMxMVP
Williams and Dokic met four times on the pro circuit, the American with a perfect record — without dropping a set — but she was far kinder in the interview, even praising the Aussie legend’s questions on her daughter Alexis Olympia, her 'catsuit’ outfit and her home decor and art.
This might be the best interview Serena has ever done after a match. She is so silly.
— Serving It Up (@Serving_It_Up) February 12, 2021
Fantastic courtside interview from Dokic. And how can you not love Serena after that interview? #ausopen #Tennis
— Anthony Webb (@anthonyqld) February 12, 2021
Jelena Dokic, thumbs up! Great questions. An on-court post-match interview worthy of a champ. #Serena #AusOpen #espn #tennischannel
— Kath (@kathlovestennis) February 12, 2021
Williams’ pursuit of the Grand Slam record is still on track as she overcame an error-strewn start Friday to thwart Anastasia Potapova and register her 90th win at the Open.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner had 31 unforced errors but wore down the Russian 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in 97 minutes on Rod Laver Arena to set up a fourth-round showdown with seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
“Definitely good to be in the fourth round,” she said.
“I came out of the blocks not like I have been (before). But it’s all about surviving and playing better every round.”
The 10th seed had been in strong form so far in Melbourne as she chases Margaret Court’s record 24 Grand Slam tally, but was out-of-sorts early and fell down a break.
But Potapova, 19, had a meltdown trying to serve out the first set with five double faults, squandering the golden opportunity.
A refocused Williams then lifted her intensity and won a tie-break before cruising through the second set.
Williams, the seven-time Australian Open champion, will, on Sunday, play Sabalenka, who thrashed American Ann Li 6-3, 6-1, a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
—with AFP
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