The reigning Australian Open champion, Williams is bidding for her eighth major title. To win it, she said she must play better than she did in the first two rounds.
"I think I have the best chances of people left in the draw," she said. "I'm probably the most mentally tough person out here. I want to win this title really bad."
LUCKY LOSER
To ease a back ache so he could play at Wimbledon, American Justin Gimelstob last week received a cortisone shot -- his third this year, and the 13th of his career.
But the 28-year-old Gimelstob, whose stocky physique bears little resemblance to muscular Rafael Nadal, said he's not worried about violating tennis' doping rules.
"I don't know if you guys have seen my body. There's no anabolic-ness there. This is as natural as it gets," Gimelstob said with a grin. "This is part Jewish, part Christian, part upper-class upbringing working-as-hard-as-you-can genetics."
Gimelstob, who plays 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt on Friday, retired after one game in his final qualifying match last week. He still made it into the main draw as a "lucky loser" when another player withdrew, then drove all over London looking for a doctor to give him an injection.
"I feel this desire and this need to eke out every possible ounce of talent and memory that I can drag out of my body and my tennis," he said.
Gimelstob is one of the more outspoken players on the men's tour. He's quick to voice his opinion even when watching a match from the stands -- as he did Tuesday when three fans were complaining about England's Tim Henman as he struggled.
"I finally snapped and I just said to these guys, `I just want you to know, you guys are the biggest idiots I've ever come across in my life,'" Gimelstob said. "You guys have an unbelievable ambassador to England, he conducts himself unbelievably well, he deals with pressure -- the pressure you guys put on him in this country -- as well as anyone can handle.'
"Maybe he won't ever win Wimbledon, but since when is the barometer of success or failure being the absolute greatest at something?"
Henman's 12th bid for a Wimbledon title ended Thursday when he was upset by Dmitry Tursunov.
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