NEW YORK (AP) – Serena Williams says her recent U.S. Open defeat was not a loss, but a win and a learning experience – and that she’s happy for the opponent, Roberta Vinci, who derailed her quest for a Grand Slam.
“We should be happy for each other, you know what I mean?” Williams said in an interview Tuesday after presenting her second collection for her fashion line, the Serena Williams Signature Statement Collection for the HSN network, at a high-profile runway show that drew influential Vogue editor Anna Wintour and other fashion heavyweights – not to mention rapper Drake. “We gotta build up each other. We can’t be angry.”
“I mean, I won four Grand Slam (tournaments) in a row, and got to the semis in another one, and I’ve done that twice,” Williams said. “I mean how many people have done that? So, yeah, it wasn’t a loss for me, it was a win and a learning experience. And I tried hard. Unfortunately the girl I played just outplayed me that day, you know … She probably deserved it. And I am happy for her.”
Williams, who won last year’s U.S. Open as well as the next three Grand Slam tournaments after that, also said designing was a great break from the pressure of her tennis career. “I love what I do obviously, but I also sometimes need a break from that – and I love fashion,” she said. “It’s something I have a passion for.”
Not that there wasn’t also pressure coming from the fashion world. Williams said that this time, she really felt pressure to deliver.