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CNN Live At Daybreak

Serena Vs. Venus in Wimbledon Finals

Aired July 04, 2003 - 06:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: On now to England. For the second year in a row and for the sixth time in a Grand Slam final, it's Serena and Venus, sister to sister going head to head for another championship, this time at Wimbledon.
And what's it like for a parent of two top ranking athletes now going head to head yet again? Well let's find out from the mother of both those young ladies, Oracene Price. She is in London.

Thanks so much for joining us. I know you've been in this position before, but this has to be an incredible feeling. Give us a sense as to what it feels like to have both your daughters up against one another once again at the Wimbledon.

ORACENE PRICE, VENUS, SERENA'S MOM: Well it feels wonderful, and I'm very happy for Venus and Serena because they work so hard and this is what they've always dreamed of in life and it's coming to pass.

WHITFIELD: Well let's talk about these ladies working so hard in these semi-finals with, let's begin with Serena, once again going up against another Belgium of Justine Henin-Hardenne. She saw her during the French Open, didn't win. This time, were your -- was your stomach in knots, you know, just bracing for yet another clincher? It was pretty tight.

PRICE: Pardon? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.

WHITFIELD: Was your stomach -- was your stomach in knots as you were watching Serena's match against Justine Henin-Hardenne?

PRICE: Yes, it was not in knots but it was pretty tense up there because I know how Serena felt about what happened in Paris and I know she wanted to do well in Wimbledon.

WHITFIELD: And with Venus, she went into this match against another Belgium, Kim Clijsters, not feeling good. Apparently she was having stomach problems and then she's coming off a knee injury. This, too, seemed to be another match where you may have been at the edge of your seat. What were you thinking and feeling as you were watching Serena, sometimes, you know, doubling over in pain?

PRICE: Well at first I didn't know it was -- she was in pain until later when I went off the court, because I thought she was just upset because she missed that serve. And then when I found out, you know I was very concerned because I don't like them to play if they're hurt. WHITFIELD: Yes, and I even read that Venus herself has said you know she doesn't like to play when she's in pain, but this time she just did not want to pull out. She wanted this one bad. How important was this match to her you believe?

PRICE: Well after getting to was it three finals and not winning, so I think it was pretty important to her to try to toughen it out and do the best that she can.

WHITFIELD: And I...

PRICE: And she brought that out of herself.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And I imagine, as a mother, were you really feeling like, you know, for Venus that she really needed to win this, she needed to hang in there because her winning record hasn't been what it had been in the past?

PRICE: No, more or less, as a mother, I didn't want to see her out there in pain and re-injuring herself, just a worse condition so -- a much worse condition. So I was just concerned about that more or less.

WHITFIELD: As you were, you know, watching these two semi-finals and it looked like Serena and Venus would be seeing each other in the finals and now it's, you know, official, what is a mother to think here? How do you root for -- I mean privately, perhaps, you're rooting for one over the other, but publicly, you know, you don't want anybody to see, I guess, what you're feeling. So how do you kind of mask your feelings?

PRICE: I don't really have to do that because I resigned to that a long time ago. So I pretty much stay neutral and whatever goes out on the court, that's where it stays, and whatever happens, that's what the results are.

WHITFIELD: Come on, really, you have to be neutral in all of this? Do you think Venus or even Serena feel like, OK, I know mom's pulling for me or no, she's pulling for her?

PRICE: No. No. No. You know if I did that, you're right, that's probably what would happen. I don't want to cause any conflict between the two at all so...

WHITFIELD: OK.

PRICE: ... I just stay neutral.

WHITFIELD: Wow! Well thanks very much for joining us. And tomorrow the big finals between your daughters, once again, at the Wimbledon finals for the second time in a row, the sixth time in a Grand Slam final. Oracene Price, thanks so much for joining us, appreciate it.

PRICE: Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com








Aired July 4, 2003 - 06:10   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: On now to England. For the second year in a row and for the sixth time in a Grand Slam final, it's Serena and Venus, sister to sister going head to head for another championship, this time at Wimbledon.
And what's it like for a parent of two top ranking athletes now going head to head yet again? Well let's find out from the mother of both those young ladies, Oracene Price. She is in London.

Thanks so much for joining us. I know you've been in this position before, but this has to be an incredible feeling. Give us a sense as to what it feels like to have both your daughters up against one another once again at the Wimbledon.

ORACENE PRICE, VENUS, SERENA'S MOM: Well it feels wonderful, and I'm very happy for Venus and Serena because they work so hard and this is what they've always dreamed of in life and it's coming to pass.

WHITFIELD: Well let's talk about these ladies working so hard in these semi-finals with, let's begin with Serena, once again going up against another Belgium of Justine Henin-Hardenne. She saw her during the French Open, didn't win. This time, were your -- was your stomach in knots, you know, just bracing for yet another clincher? It was pretty tight.

PRICE: Pardon? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.

WHITFIELD: Was your stomach -- was your stomach in knots as you were watching Serena's match against Justine Henin-Hardenne?

PRICE: Yes, it was not in knots but it was pretty tense up there because I know how Serena felt about what happened in Paris and I know she wanted to do well in Wimbledon.

WHITFIELD: And with Venus, she went into this match against another Belgium, Kim Clijsters, not feeling good. Apparently she was having stomach problems and then she's coming off a knee injury. This, too, seemed to be another match where you may have been at the edge of your seat. What were you thinking and feeling as you were watching Serena, sometimes, you know, doubling over in pain?

PRICE: Well at first I didn't know it was -- she was in pain until later when I went off the court, because I thought she was just upset because she missed that serve. And then when I found out, you know I was very concerned because I don't like them to play if they're hurt. WHITFIELD: Yes, and I even read that Venus herself has said you know she doesn't like to play when she's in pain, but this time she just did not want to pull out. She wanted this one bad. How important was this match to her you believe?

PRICE: Well after getting to was it three finals and not winning, so I think it was pretty important to her to try to toughen it out and do the best that she can.

WHITFIELD: And I...

PRICE: And she brought that out of herself.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And I imagine, as a mother, were you really feeling like, you know, for Venus that she really needed to win this, she needed to hang in there because her winning record hasn't been what it had been in the past?

PRICE: No, more or less, as a mother, I didn't want to see her out there in pain and re-injuring herself, just a worse condition so -- a much worse condition. So I was just concerned about that more or less.

WHITFIELD: As you were, you know, watching these two semi-finals and it looked like Serena and Venus would be seeing each other in the finals and now it's, you know, official, what is a mother to think here? How do you root for -- I mean privately, perhaps, you're rooting for one over the other, but publicly, you know, you don't want anybody to see, I guess, what you're feeling. So how do you kind of mask your feelings?

PRICE: I don't really have to do that because I resigned to that a long time ago. So I pretty much stay neutral and whatever goes out on the court, that's where it stays, and whatever happens, that's what the results are.

WHITFIELD: Come on, really, you have to be neutral in all of this? Do you think Venus or even Serena feel like, OK, I know mom's pulling for me or no, she's pulling for her?

PRICE: No. No. No. You know if I did that, you're right, that's probably what would happen. I don't want to cause any conflict between the two at all so...

WHITFIELD: OK.

PRICE: ... I just stay neutral.

WHITFIELD: Wow! Well thanks very much for joining us. And tomorrow the big finals between your daughters, once again, at the Wimbledon finals for the second time in a row, the sixth time in a Grand Slam final. Oracene Price, thanks so much for joining us, appreciate it.

PRICE: Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com