right foot down on the accelerator of the golf cart she was driving while yelling encouragement to older sister Venus during her daily runs. Serena's size seem to grow faster than gas prices during her sporadic appearances on court last year.

No longer on conditioning cruise control, Williams' sleeker, stronger shape is a result of agility drills, sprints, plyometrics and constantly hugging her new closest companion - the medicine ball she's lifted more times than the title trophies she once raised during her days of dominance.

"I feel more in shape," Williams said after beating Mattek last night. "I've been doing a lot of work off court. Hopefully it'll pay off, because I hate it."

Though Williams says she has not stepped on a scale since she was a kid, she's clearly shed some weight, which will certainly take the strain off her surgically-repaired left knee which has periodically pained her. If she can remain committed to fitness and retain her desire to play a consistent schedule and continue improving, Williams will undoubtedly be on the fast track to the upper reaches of the rankings.

"I definitely expected to keep improving, making leaps and bounds, to play better tennis," Williams said. "I think there's definitely some rust there still. I'm not trying to be cocky or conceited. I expect that all the time. Whether I win or not, there's always ways you can improve."

Wait a minute, you may be thinking, we've heard all this before: Williams declares her desire to commit to tennis only to disappear from tournament draws for long stretches and appear disinterested in the sport she once dominated when she did deign to grace an event with her presence.

Two victories in a Tier III tournament are hardly an accurate gauge of any woman's level of play, particularly one who has spent less time on court in recent months than the streaker who skipped across the Centre Court lawn, but the 139th-ranked wild card made significant strides in answering the questions surrounding her competitive with a statement win over a former Grand Slam champion in Myskina, who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals last month and pushed eventual champion Amelie Mauresmo to three sets before bowing.