Friday, June 30 2006 15:05 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: Venus Williams admitted she had to draw on every last drop of her vast experience to save her Wimbledon title defence from ending in an embarrassing shock defeat on Thursday.

The sixth seed survived a major scare in the second round before recovering her composure to see off gritty fellow American Lisa Raymond.

The 26-year-old had to serve to stay in the match at 5-2 and a set down but finally got her game together just at the right moment to pull through 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-2.

"I was really down this time," Williams said after the one hour, 48-minute ordeal on Court One.

"It's all about surviving to another day. I felt that it would be such a shame to lose in the second round because I am playing so well and serving well and I almost met my match today," the three-time ladies singles champion revealed.

Williams lost in the second round in 2004 having made the previous four finals.

"I think overconfidence can also be a downfall," she admitted.

"Sometimes you get too relaxed and let your opponent creep back in. I think where I'm really confident is in my serve, it just gives me so many good points easily," he said.

"That helps the whole invincibility type thing."

Williams agreed she had to dig deep to get herself out of a very tricky situation.

"I just picked up my techniques and my game, and it was just a matter of me getting that one game. It was all very exciting," he said.

"In a match, especially in a grand slam, in Wimbledon, is really no time to get frustrated or upset. You just have to play your way out of it," she said. "You lose sometimes most of the times I won't. It is very important not to think about losing. It's important to think about finding the solution before time runs out, so that's pretty much what I did," he said.

"I do enjoy winning straightforward. To have a push early on, some people say is good, some say it's bad; I just say it's good to get to the next round," he said.

Williams has made herself the spearhead of the drive for equal prize money for men and women at Wimbledon, the only one of the four grand slams not to reward the winners evenly.

Bosses at the All England Club have dug their heels in, arguing that the women are on court less and so therefore should be paid less.

Williams said that if Wimbledon officials suggested that the women play five sets like the men, instead of three, she would go jump at the chance.

"Oh, absolutely," the American said.

"If the All England Club felt that five sets was the way to go, the women players would be prepared to play. I would have no problem with it. I think it would be a whole lot of fun," he said.

Williams faces Serbian 26th seed Jelena Jankovic in the third round.